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A cabal of privileged perverts from across the globe frolicking in a Caribbean island with underage girls has been outed in the declassified Jeffrey Epstein files. Donald Trump after initially resisting the release of the humongous data pertaining to the shenanigans of the high and mighty, (that includes references to him too) had to acquiesce reluctantly.
The U.S. lawmakers legislated in November last year a mandatory disclosure of all Epstein related documents. The Department of Justice(DoJ) put some caveats to withhold information that identifies the victims. These files were being released in tranches. From over 6 million files, the DoJ released the final 3 million Epstein files last month. It reads. like a Who's Who of the rich and raunchy.
The Epstein saga has been simmering since 2008 but the recent dump of murky revelations is causing a global churn. A kind of Samudramanthan (churning of the seas) where instead of the elixir of immortality Amrit) what comes up are vignettes of a toxic saturnalia.
The denouements by way of emails, video clips, interviews and other documents make Hugh Hefner (Epstein's il-lust-rious cohort) in his Playboy mansion with the bunnies seem like a nun's picnic. Even Harvey Weinstein with his casting -couch sexual predatory, that unleashed the #Me Too movement by sexually exploited women, seems not too horrific by contrast.
Epstein as a global influencer could conduct a master class in the art of networking. He worked on people's vulnerabilities to entice them. He socialised with a global jet-setting clique of tycoons, royalty, oligarchs, tech bros, corporates, powerful politicians, scholars, scientists, celebs et al. Not all were seeking pleasures of the flesh. Some wanted the right contacts for business expansion while some wanted to revel in the company of multihued celebrities. What is reprehensible is that despite Epstein's history as a convicted paedophile, people hobnobbed with him without any qualms.
Robert Trivers, a well-known American evolutionary biologist, describes Epstein as "polymorphously perverse" in his political and social relationships. He could interact with politicians from sharply differing ideologies. Fidel Castro, Steve Bannon, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Summers, Deepak Chopra, Bill Gates and many more exist frictionless in his contacts.
With initial protestations of no wrongdoing, heads are rolling in some places as the Epstein files reveal a spider's web of lust, greed, power, lucre, intelligence gathering, money laundering and celeb optics. The Black Book in which Epstein kept a record of the men lured into a spider's web of lust, avarice, power brokering must have sent shudders down the spines of those involved.
Hence Epstein's suicide in prison by hanging in 2019 while awaiting trial raises some doubts---particularly when FBI was planning to make him an approver. His British girlfriend and co- conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20 year prison sentence for trafficking girls.
There are loud protestations about missing interview files pertaining to a survivor who accused Epstein and Trump of abuse when she was a minor. Since the files were tightening the noose around this incestuous circle of men, there’s a theory that the Iran war was started to change the headlines.
The Boardroom morphing into a 'boredroom' and then into a bedroom shows the classic patriarchy and misogyny of the Boys' Club. Larry Summers, who figures in the Epstein files and has resigned since ,said famously while he was President of Harvard University that women should go in for humanities as they don't have a head for numbers. Obvious mansplaining!
There's been a subtle attempt by some male scientists to keep women away from STEM fields. Roger Schank, an Al researcher and theorist, commented to keep two women scientists out from a conference organised by Epstein:
"Hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you...".
Yes, the glass ceilings are being shattered by and by but many more women have shards in their necks trying hard to break through that ceiling! And powerful men with blood on their hands can glide to the top. The Epstein files are a testimony to this sad truth.
Despite the cascading information on Epstein files, the buzz continues around the globe Though not related to Epstein files, at the recent BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television) awards, the host made a priceless comment on the movie,'Zootopia':
"Lies, corrupt leaders, poisoning and persecution of a race...almost as though there are events going on in the real world that are influencing filmmaking”.
A tongue in cheek dig at the dystopia confronting us globally!
Ushi Kak aka Kashpundit, an author and a columnist, writes satire generally. Views expressed are the writer’s own
