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Are 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 i

Are 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.

roenxi 7y ago
No, it isn't wrong; guilt by association is not a civilised concept. And if someone commits a crime then the courts determine an appropriate punishment and that is the end of what gets called 'wrong'. I'm on board if you don't want to talk to convicted paedophiles - seems reasonable to me - but being judgemental of someone else's relationships is not fair.
- malvosenior 7y ago
  The absolute failure of the courts to enact justice in the Epstein case is a great example of why people should think for themselves and not outsource their sense of right and wrong to third parties. I personally do not believe that Gates (one of the most successful people to have ever lived) was naive enough to not know who and what Epstein was. I also see Gates' attempt to hide his relationship with Epstein as further evidence of wrongdoing.
  - topmonk 7y ago
    But that's mob justice. I'm not saying you're wrong, but failure of our courts can lead to extraordinarily bad times.
    - malvosenior 7y ago
      It most definitely will lead to bad times! That being said, it's not like people are out with actual pitchforks. We're talking about people on the internet criticizing Bill Gates' affiliation with Epstein. Gates is still rich, powerful and free from any real repercussions other than a deserved hit to his reputation (and really, barely even that). Sadly I think we'll never see true justice since those tasked with it seem completely unwilling to do their job in this case.
- dmix 7y ago
  Thank you, the way people bring out the pitchforks merely over guilt-by-association is one of the worst parts of social media. I swear we're going to have to relearn all of the lessons we learned over the centuries of developing civil society, all in the name of some strange utopian perfectionism we're putting on every popular person. Mob justice is rarely good justice.
  - malvosenior 7y ago
    There are obviously times when mob justice goes too far. I do not think Epstein is one of those cases. He was a sex trafficker for the rich and powerful. His associates should be investigated and their attempts to get the media to bury the story should be pointed out.
    - dmix 7y ago
      I wasn't talking about you per se or even Gates alone, so please don't take it as a personal attack. There's plenty of examples of people taking this guilt-by-association stuff way too far. A popular one is when politicians take a photo with an unsavoury character, even though they took a hundred that night alone, and the media spins it like their buddies. The Gates case is more complicated, as you mentioned, but the general trend is worrying and I personally wouldn't public tell people I met with Epstein either.
- romwell 7y ago
  >No, it isn't wrong; guilt by association is not a civilised concept. When it comes to courts, absolutely. When it comes to making a judgement call (and also associating with people), it's expected. You make a choice who you maintain relationships with. You can, and will be judged by the choices you make.

roenxi 7y ago

No, it isn't wrong; guilt by association is not a civilised concept. And if someone commits a crime then the courts determine an appropriate punishment and that is the end of what gets called 'wrong'. I'm on board if you don't want to talk to convicted paedophiles - seems reasonable to me - but being judgemental of someone else's relationships is not fair.

malvosenior 7y ago
The absolute failure of the courts to enact justice in the Epstein case is a great example of why people should think for themselves and not outsource their sense of right and wrong to third parties. I personally do not believe that Gates (one of the most successful people to have ever lived) was naive enough to not know who and what Epstein was. I also see Gates' attempt to hide his relationship with Epstein as further evidence of wrongdoing.
- topmonk 7y ago
  But that's mob justice. I'm not saying you're wrong, but failure of our courts can lead to extraordinarily bad times.
  - malvosenior 7y ago
    It most definitely will lead to bad times! That being said, it's not like people are out with actual pitchforks. We're talking about people on the internet criticizing Bill Gates' affiliation with Epstein. Gates is still rich, powerful and free from any real repercussions other than a deserved hit to his reputation (and really, barely even that). Sadly I think we'll never see true justice since those tasked with it seem completely unwilling to do their job in this case.
dmix 7y ago
Thank you, the way people bring out the pitchforks merely over guilt-by-association is one of the worst parts of social media. I swear we're going to have to relearn all of the lessons we learned over the centuries of developing civil society, all in the name of some strange utopian perfectionism we're putting on every popular person. Mob justice is rarely good justice.
- malvosenior 7y ago
  There are obviously times when mob justice goes too far. I do not think Epstein is one of those cases. He was a sex trafficker for the rich and powerful. His associates should be investigated and their attempts to get the media to bury the story should be pointed out.
  - dmix 7y ago
    I wasn't talking about you per se or even Gates alone, so please don't take it as a personal attack. There's plenty of examples of people taking this guilt-by-association stuff way too far. A popular one is when politicians take a photo with an unsavoury character, even though they took a hundred that night alone, and the media spins it like their buddies. The Gates case is more complicated, as you mentioned, but the general trend is worrying and I personally wouldn't public tell people I met with Epstein either.
romwell 7y ago
>No, it isn't wrong; guilt by association is not a civilised concept. When it comes to courts, absolutely. When it comes to making a judgement call (and also associating with people), it's expected. You make a choice who you maintain relationships with. You can, and will be judged by the choices you make.