The Epstein Wrecking Ball

What can be said about Jeffrey Epstein? Disgraced financier? Convicted child sex offender? The czar of influence? A master blackmailer? An evil degenerate whose sordid actions continue to create a ripple effect even 7 years after he killed himself? Most poignantly, what do the revelations say about “not all men”? Each day, a global leader, a personal hero, or inspiring icon comes crashing down from his pedestal. While Epstein’s association with other known ignoble men was expected, that his sway spanned far and wide, is an unnerving feeling.

British historian Lord Acton’s well-known maxim from 1887 comes to mind — “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. With sweeping wealth comes power, with influence comes prestige, and unfortunately, with both comes a troubling relationship with ethics, morals, and principles. And mostly men (almost always men) are found wanting. And Epstein used this to his advantage to maximise his network and use his social capital to cull favours or blackmail people into submission.

There’s a devil in us all but our intellect demands that we don’t act on every whim, urge, or immoral thought. Epstein’s scheme was to make every unsavoury desire easily available and ready for picking. A sorority almost where every depraved man could have his needs met and if he wasn’t depraved from the start, found enthusiastic mentors who helped him get there. Epstein and manipulator, Ghislaine Maxwell, made sexual exploitation seem normal and consent non-existent. The inner evils of people never questioned any of it, but wantonly and eagerly moved into those social circles. We will feel the fallout of the Epstein scheme for years.. But who will eventually pay? With Epstein dead, what would justice actually look like? Cancel culture followed by rehabilitation of the same powerful men? Let’s also remember that ironically, the only person rotting in jail for all the crimes is a woman. Also compromised are several victims whose identities were compromised due to ineffectual redacting.

It’s sick what Epstein did but I’m even angrier with Maxwell. As a woman, her enablement of Epstein’s deviance and smooth running of the sex racket, is deeply disturbing. What’s even more alarming is the collective silence of scores of other men and women! And this is usually the case that was highlighted even by the global #MeToo movement. Career predators have built a legacy of similar patterns of sexual harassment and abuse. Their actions are not unknown; they are ignored or whitewashed by their colleagues, business partners, and social peers. The latter keep professionally and socially dealing with the delinquent, inviting them to events, attending their dinner parties, continuing to do business, and so on. Even if they didn’t partake of the exploitation, there are dozens of influential people who were aware of Epstein’s wrongdoings. And yet, no one spoke. Eminent people, like Deepak Chopra for instance, who are now hiding behind glib excuses of not participating in “criminal or exploitative conduct” and apologise for “poor judgement” in continuing a friendship with a known sex-offender, must also get off their fake virtuous high horse and take ownership of their hidden moral ineptitude. Their continued silence legitimised Epstein’s operations, their jokes and quips made the exploitation of Epstein’s “girls” seem above board.

Every day, there are new names and connections to Epstein being revealed from all corners of the world. His influence, almost like a virus, preying on weak men with even weaker will power. Tech magnates, political behemoths, monarchs, and even spiritual masters — new names will continue to shock us. A merry international band of perverse men and women who wanted their tribe of debauchery to only grow. Consenting adults can have their moral degradation and practice their kinks with freedom, we are no one to judge. But the abuse of power and the exploitation of mostly young, and sometimes under-age, women proves time and time again that if not for the fear of getting caught, few have an active moral compass to decide between right and wrong.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is an author and media entrepreneur