The rich data from emails between Epstein and members of this disgraceful network of the very rich provide a unique and rare opportunity to examine their culture and practices in their own words; I found that your NYT OpEd and your interview with EK filled in some gaps in our understanding of this group and am pleased you’re going to continuing your analysis of them; these data are simply not available to social scientists. And while the emails are short, so much can be gleaned from them. Although my own research does not focus on the power elite, as a sociologist Ive long known that the difficulty of obtaining indepth interview as well as micro-level data on the social interactions of the very rich has resulted in a dearth of understanding on what makes them tick, what they value, and what they devalue. As a gender scholar, I’m horrified (though sadly not surprised) at the misogyny echoed in these emails as well as the racism and disregard for kids. I will closely follow your series and applaud your continued examination of these creeps. It takes a certain degree of heartless (and lack of empathy) to get to the top of the class hierarchy and I suppose it’s not surprising how they talk about folks who fall outside their group with so much disdain. Thank you for shedding more light on them.
Great comment, and I want to understand more about the psyches of men that drives them to their hopefully perditious afterlives (I am an atheist, but I can always hope there is a hell for the most awful among us ;o), but where do the wives and “girlfriends” (not the victims) come in; what is their role? I see all these religious right “Handmaid’s Tale” women subjugating themselves, relegating their roles to that of children, while their disgusting men go unpunished. Surely they know or suspect. How do they live with themselves!?
Anand, Courage as you move forward. As a graduate of the University of Virginia ('67, '71) I was appalled at the "firing" of president Ryan who was willing to take on the DOJ's attack on our Constitutional rights. You might find Ryan an ally and a source as you wade into deep and, in my opinion, very scary waters. (MLK, Malcolm X, John and Bobby Kennedy took on the established power structures of their day) Just know that there are folks, many of us, who believe in this battle for this country to live up to our better angels.
I am very much looking forward to the series. My main question is probably a futile one to ask, but ask it I must: how do we fix this horrendous situation, and by that I mean much more than holding these people to account. What I want to know is how to change people's values. Why are we so fixated on money and fame? Why do we repeatedly fall for lies and snake oil? Is this just human nature or is there any chance of building a society based on something deeper, like mutual respect, caring, learning? The distortion of our values and the waste of our potential is what disturbs me most. Are we truly better than this or are we doomed? Thank you for all you do, Anand. Of course I am subscribed and of course I will tell people about your great work. Peace.
Looking forward to that new series. We have to see the ‘Epstein Class’ clearly for it robs us of our rights for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and thus of our human dignity.
I am struck, post Bondi's congressional hearing, by the cover-up.
So there's the crime - trafficking and abusing (sexually and otherwise) children and women. We need to know who did what. There's the money -- who paid Epstein, Maxwell and other traffickers (including non-cash payments, favors, gifts and information.) Then there is the cover-up. Who knew, who complied, who facilitated, who covered up. All important.
Pam Bondi's hysterical performance last week, I believe, has more to do with her being the Florida state attorney (or adjacent) during Epstein's time in Palm Beach. Bondi -- we know from Trump 1.0 is a corrupt figure. She stood down on pursing Trump University in exchange for a campaign contribution. She apparently was a Middle East lobbyist (for Qatar ?) post Trump 1.0, which could have many implications. She is likely in the files herself!
I think the cover up needs to be illuminated because we are reaching a new low watermark in our standards for justice and government officials that will endure. Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche and Trump need to be recused from this investigation fully. Congress needs to get a Special Master appointed to handle all documents, un-redact them all and then decide which redactions to reinstitute based on the law and report to Congress. An accounting of all 6M documents must be made to the public by a credible source. Then, I think we will need a special prosecutor to get justice for the victims and the public at large.
So all of that is to say -- I want to see discussion of the corruption of justice.
I think the power dynamics are interesting, alluring, even. But, I believe the only way the power dynamics will be disrupted is if justice is made to prevail. Let's not admire and opine on the problem while the suffering, crimes and destruction of rule of law are allowed to continue.
You are a brave man, Anand. Press on. Be aware …..there are those who don’t want your views and investigations to come out. Would be great if you could gain access to a small group of the “hundreds” of FBI agents who combed the files and redacted Trump’s name, photos and misbehavior…..can all of them really remain silent and complicit in this cover up?
I've been a subscriber to The.Ink since you realized Substack was the best way to build community and provide a form of journalism, insight, opinion and fresh ideas that are both needed and wanted. I remember the "early days" of extemporaneous calls for people to congregate and share. You had me then.
What always impressed me is your interest in what is bubbling under the surface, these feelings, these shared views that need someone to be willing to grapple with their complexity and be brave and competent to articulate and make sense of it all.
I look forward to this series.
If there is going to be a lasting
resurgence of democracy and not just a defense of an existing structure that doesn't represent the will of the people, we need to know the enemy of the people that are leveraging our broken system for their benefit.
And then we need to revise our system.
The political parties have chosen to simultaneously remove power from the people and hand it over to executive.
Fortunately, the Founders provided us with a vision, that is still relevant today.
And they left us unused flexibility in the construction of the Constitution for citizens to recreate and renew a modern day democratic republic in our Founder's image.
I am so glad you are doing this, Anand! I 1000% agree with you that we must not waste these revelations by assigning them cheap meaning, maxing out the clickbait, and then moving on, which is what I have seen other media do (looking at you, NPR).
In your brilliance at analyzing culture and power, you are the perfect one to do this work. Your insights will help us all get to the place we need to be as a society to refuse to live this way. Lately, I keep thinking about the French Revolution. This morning I read that ex-prince Andrew was arrested. In our age, that feels like a miracle. Will there be a time in the future where we are not satisfied with resignations and demotions but call for heads on stakes? I am seriously there already.
Just keep doing what you are doing to expose this network and class. Expose the cruelty. Expose the lack of accountability. Expose them as individuals and as a team. Expose the depravity.
The rich data from emails between Epstein and members of this disgraceful network of the very rich provide a unique and rare opportunity to examine their culture and practices in their own words; I found that your NYT OpEd and your interview with EK filled in some gaps in our understanding of this group and am pleased you’re going to continuing your analysis of them; these data are simply not available to social scientists. And while the emails are short, so much can be gleaned from them. Although my own research does not focus on the power elite, as a sociologist Ive long known that the difficulty of obtaining indepth interview as well as micro-level data on the social interactions of the very rich has resulted in a dearth of understanding on what makes them tick, what they value, and what they devalue. As a gender scholar, I’m horrified (though sadly not surprised) at the misogyny echoed in these emails as well as the racism and disregard for kids. I will closely follow your series and applaud your continued examination of these creeps. It takes a certain degree of heartless (and lack of empathy) to get to the top of the class hierarchy and I suppose it’s not surprising how they talk about folks who fall outside their group with so much disdain. Thank you for shedding more light on them.
TY for calling out misogyny and disregard of children. Most of the coverage negates and ignores these-refusing to use the "M" word.
Great comment, and I want to understand more about the psyches of men that drives them to their hopefully perditious afterlives (I am an atheist, but I can always hope there is a hell for the most awful among us ;o), but where do the wives and “girlfriends” (not the victims) come in; what is their role? I see all these religious right “Handmaid’s Tale” women subjugating themselves, relegating their roles to that of children, while their disgusting men go unpunished. Surely they know or suspect. How do they live with themselves!?
Anand, Courage as you move forward. As a graduate of the University of Virginia ('67, '71) I was appalled at the "firing" of president Ryan who was willing to take on the DOJ's attack on our Constitutional rights. You might find Ryan an ally and a source as you wade into deep and, in my opinion, very scary waters. (MLK, Malcolm X, John and Bobby Kennedy took on the established power structures of their day) Just know that there are folks, many of us, who believe in this battle for this country to live up to our better angels.
All the people you cite were assassinated. Coincidence? Hmmm..
I am very much looking forward to the series. My main question is probably a futile one to ask, but ask it I must: how do we fix this horrendous situation, and by that I mean much more than holding these people to account. What I want to know is how to change people's values. Why are we so fixated on money and fame? Why do we repeatedly fall for lies and snake oil? Is this just human nature or is there any chance of building a society based on something deeper, like mutual respect, caring, learning? The distortion of our values and the waste of our potential is what disturbs me most. Are we truly better than this or are we doomed? Thank you for all you do, Anand. Of course I am subscribed and of course I will tell people about your great work. Peace.
Looking forward to that new series. We have to see the ‘Epstein Class’ clearly for it robs us of our rights for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and thus of our human dignity.
Good interview on NPR’s On Point
thank God we have you to be our teacher...you are a gift to the people of the United states
I am struck, post Bondi's congressional hearing, by the cover-up.
So there's the crime - trafficking and abusing (sexually and otherwise) children and women. We need to know who did what. There's the money -- who paid Epstein, Maxwell and other traffickers (including non-cash payments, favors, gifts and information.) Then there is the cover-up. Who knew, who complied, who facilitated, who covered up. All important.
Pam Bondi's hysterical performance last week, I believe, has more to do with her being the Florida state attorney (or adjacent) during Epstein's time in Palm Beach. Bondi -- we know from Trump 1.0 is a corrupt figure. She stood down on pursing Trump University in exchange for a campaign contribution. She apparently was a Middle East lobbyist (for Qatar ?) post Trump 1.0, which could have many implications. She is likely in the files herself!
I think the cover up needs to be illuminated because we are reaching a new low watermark in our standards for justice and government officials that will endure. Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche and Trump need to be recused from this investigation fully. Congress needs to get a Special Master appointed to handle all documents, un-redact them all and then decide which redactions to reinstitute based on the law and report to Congress. An accounting of all 6M documents must be made to the public by a credible source. Then, I think we will need a special prosecutor to get justice for the victims and the public at large.
So all of that is to say -- I want to see discussion of the corruption of justice.
I think the power dynamics are interesting, alluring, even. But, I believe the only way the power dynamics will be disrupted is if justice is made to prevail. Let's not admire and opine on the problem while the suffering, crimes and destruction of rule of law are allowed to continue.
I heartily second your call for a Special Master
Keep going on this Anand. The human experience is all about relationships. You might need a few smart psychiatrists to help at some point.
I've also heard it referred to as The Predator Class which is quite fitting.
Epstein Class’s relationship with Israel and how it enables the ongoing Genocide in Gaza.
How Israel can bomb all the countries around them with impunity. And how the Epstein class enables this as it continues today.
Netanyahu has been in WA DC to plan w/Trump.
6x in the last year.
What’s all involved here-favors, blackmail, etc.
Keep on keeping on, I thank you and am grateful for your work.
You are a brave man, Anand. Press on. Be aware …..there are those who don’t want your views and investigations to come out. Would be great if you could gain access to a small group of the “hundreds” of FBI agents who combed the files and redacted Trump’s name, photos and misbehavior…..can all of them really remain silent and complicit in this cover up?
I've been a subscriber to The.Ink since you realized Substack was the best way to build community and provide a form of journalism, insight, opinion and fresh ideas that are both needed and wanted. I remember the "early days" of extemporaneous calls for people to congregate and share. You had me then.
What always impressed me is your interest in what is bubbling under the surface, these feelings, these shared views that need someone to be willing to grapple with their complexity and be brave and competent to articulate and make sense of it all.
I look forward to this series.
If there is going to be a lasting
resurgence of democracy and not just a defense of an existing structure that doesn't represent the will of the people, we need to know the enemy of the people that are leveraging our broken system for their benefit.
And then we need to revise our system.
The political parties have chosen to simultaneously remove power from the people and hand it over to executive.
Fortunately, the Founders provided us with a vision, that is still relevant today.
And they left us unused flexibility in the construction of the Constitution for citizens to recreate and renew a modern day democratic republic in our Founder's image.
Pace e bene
I am so glad you are doing this, Anand! I 1000% agree with you that we must not waste these revelations by assigning them cheap meaning, maxing out the clickbait, and then moving on, which is what I have seen other media do (looking at you, NPR).
In your brilliance at analyzing culture and power, you are the perfect one to do this work. Your insights will help us all get to the place we need to be as a society to refuse to live this way. Lately, I keep thinking about the French Revolution. This morning I read that ex-prince Andrew was arrested. In our age, that feels like a miracle. Will there be a time in the future where we are not satisfied with resignations and demotions but call for heads on stakes? I am seriously there already.
Just keep doing what you are doing to expose this network and class. Expose the cruelty. Expose the lack of accountability. Expose them as individuals and as a team. Expose the depravity.
Yes. I want to read this series.