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Epstein’s death seems the most overt taunt about ruling class impunity in my lifetime. Not only in its circumstances, but in the kind of shifting, threadbare co
by claudeganon 7y ago
Epstein’s death seems the most overt taunt about ruling class impunity in my lifetime. Not only in its circumstances, but in the kind of shifting, threadbare cover stories about everyone with whom he was associated. Bill Gates, for example, had staff overlap between his foundation and Epstein, (including one who was named in Epstein’s will!) and was able to diminish these connections in major media outlets with almost no pushback.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-...
- metalliqaz 7y agoI think the Panama Papers still has it beat.
- chrischen 7y agoI feel ike for that Americans feel like temporarily embarrassed millionaires, but not necessarily temporarily embarrassed underage sex traffickers .
- metalliqaz 7y agoI'm not sure I buy that "temporarily embarrassed millionaires" line. People are tribal and will fight tooth and nail to defend their tribe's beliefs, no matter how little it applies to themselves. People know they will never be rich. Almost everyone knows that. I think it's more accurate to say that Americans have poor education in civics and finance, and cling to near-religious dogma as a result.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 7y ago> People know they will never be rich. Almost everyone knows that. I don't think the average American knows that until they hit 40, hence the midlife crisis.
- libraryatnight 7y agoAs a middle-class person, when I talk to other middle-class people, many make decisions/vote like they are going to be wealthy some day. Actively arguing against their own interests out of this weird fear that it would someday bite them when it's their wealth being taxed etc. one of the best protections the wealthy have in the US is the poor and middle class voting based on an imagined and unlikely future for themselves.
- kevin_thibedeau 7y agoThis is mostly a problem with GOP adherents. The people that actually control and are served by the party are too few to win elections on their own. They have constructed a rhetoric that is meant to appeal to rural working class voters for the sole purpose of winning elections. Hence the phony demonstrations of Christian faith and donning of the trucker cap. The genius is that their failure to execute on promised benefits for all is blamed on the other guys so there is a built in feedback cycle bringing more sheep to the flock every two years.
- rtkwe 7y agoI think it's more that a lot of the American mythos and our story about ourselves is centered around a combination of individualism and meritocracy, but in a backwards sense where success is kind of assumed to be a sign of merit be it skill, luck, or pluck. That twists the idea of fairness by removing all the collective work and often government work that went into enabling any given business to succeed and thrive.
- code_duck 7y agoEpstein's ability to carry in his activities with near impunity during his life seems even more shocking to me. Pretty much everyone knew what this guy was doing for decades.
- A4ET8a8uTh0 7y agoIn the old country, there is a concept of krysha, which technically refers to protection paid to government for protection ( not unlike mafia ), but, for example, in Russia, referred to money paid for protection to the security apparatus. I find it difficult to believe Epstein had no protectors. Natually, now nonone really knew the guy.
- juskrey 7y agoKrysha is naturally something that can vanish overnight or turn against you
- code_duck 7y agoThere's some speculation that he maintained his operational security, such as it was, through the threat of exposure or blackmail. That is, he brought prominent and powerful people into his fold, and then he had power over them. It's similar to how spy organizations intentionally place people in compromising situations, like hiring prostitutes for them, and record it on video.
- detail-oriented 7y agoIsn't video of putins predecessor with prostitutes part of his rise to power?
- thrower123 7y agoI cannot believe that he didn't have a deadman switch set up just in case something like this happened to him. Somewhere or wheres, there has to be a couple boxes of hard drives that could burn the world down if they ever came to light. Although I may be being optimistic; the Panama Papers never amounted to anything.
- bryanrasmussen 7y agoTo paraphrase Watchmen I think we can take Gates off the list of suspects, it just doesn't seem his style.
- skyyler 7y agoHow do you know what his style is? You have no idea what gets Bill Gates off.
- logfromblammo 7y agoDevelopers, developers, developers? Maybe that was just Ballmer's kink?
- blackrobot 7y agoHe may not be a suspect, but it is troubling when someone befriends a known pedophile: Mr. Gates started the relationship after Mr. Epstein was convicted of sex crimes. from the NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates.html** https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-...
- hutzlibu 7y agoWell, pedophiles are also people. And if they show remorse and moved on (or in therapy) etc. I do not see a problem. The problem here is just, that apparently he did not moved on at all and just continued undisturbed.
- neom 7y agoI have a close relative who is a pedophile. I still give them my time. Don't underestimate human compassion, regardless of your value judgement on it.
- malvosenior 7y agoAre you saying that Gates was being compassionate toward Epstein? Gates hid the depth of his affiliation with Epstein until this NYT article came out. He knew it was wrong. Much more likely is that Epstein had dirt on Gates and/or connections Gates wanted.
- simonebrunozzi 7y agoUsually very rich people have a strong incentive to hire private firms specialized in minimizing the impact of bad stuff like this, and doing so in a very discreet way. I am 100% speculating, but I'd guess that's what Jeff Bezos did in relation to his extra-marital affair, and what Bill Gates and others have been doing in relation to Epstein.
- CharlesColeman 7y ago> Usually very rich people have a strong incentive to hire private firms specialized in minimizing the impact of bad stuff like this, and doing so in a very discreet way. I'd be interested in learning about what techniques they use, since they seem like something that ought to be countered.
- etxm 7y agoMany PR firms offer “crisis management.”
- dfcagency 7y agoRead "trust me, I'm lying" by Ryan Holiday.
- HNLurker2 7y agoYes and all his books if you live in a high stress environment like politics
- hutzlibu 7y ago"I'd be interested in learning about what techniques they use" I suppose it is mostly about connections with people in newspapers etc. and collecting favors from them.
- Teever 7y agoAn interesting comment that I've seen repeated and voted to the top of any post on reddit regarding the Gates-Epstein association is something along the lines of 'Gates is too aloof and nerdy to be interested in the wares that Epstein was peddling.' I've seen it many times and it has always struck me as the kind of spin that PR firm would write and disseminate.
- UncleOxidant 7y ago> (including one who was named in Epstein’s will!) Not just in his will but named as the executor of his will.
- amiga_500 7y agoThis is the important time for power. Exercising power in the background, when nobody realises it's happening, is useful. But when your power base is threatened, when you are wide open and people feel you could go under. That's when you can exhibit that power. When you step forward and pronounce that black is white, and all the press and the politicians nod in agreement. This entrenches their power. Nobody called them out.
- forgottenpass 7y agoIf you think his associates were fucking children or involved in the prostitution ring, just say so. If you don't think that, well then we do have to hem and haw about how much guilt by association they carry. Because for a lot of people, business connections or rubbing elbows for money with bad people doesn't get much blowback. Just look at Tim Cook gladhanding dictators of nations where homosexuality is outlawed. Or manufacturing in countries with ethnic concentration camps.
- malvosenior 7y agoI think most people feel that Epstein's associates were involved with the child prostitution ring. Epstein was a child sex trafficker after all. Every person who flew on his plane or visited his houses is suspect and should be investigated.