The disturbing revelations in the Epstein files about a super-entitled and corrupt transnational elite have arrived at a time of intense distrust and anger toward the ruling class, from both the populist right and left.
It is therefore easy to see why large swaths of the commentariat (members of the news media) have gone all in with the class angle on this blockbuster affair. The villains are easy to caricature: a rich, self-serving elite that engaged in horrific abuse for many years with presumed impunity–until the walls started closing in.
As Dave ZirinwroteinThe Nation, “The Epstein files have exposed that global elites have never been wealthier and more influential, but they’ve become drunk on power after decades of plunder. This second Gilded Age isn’t ending until the exposure is total …”
Plutocracy does indeed play a supporting role in the Epstein files. There’s no doubt that the wealth and power of men (and some women) in Epstein’s network gave them opportunities to sexually exploit girls and young women. It also provided them with the high-powered lawyers and political connections necessary to evade accountability.
At least until now.
But at its core, this story is about men’s violence against women. For all its unique and salacious features, the enormous cultural and political scandal that has transfixed the nation is further evidence—as if any were needed—of the ongoing global crisis of men’s sexual exploitation and abuse of girls and women.
Contrary to the popular narrative that the case is primarily about the depravity of an unaccountable cabal of overlords, Epstein’s misogynous beliefs and practices were not an incidental feature of his appeal to the businessmen, scientists and politicians that he drew into his orbit. They were a central part of the draw.
This is not to say that class isn’t part of the story. The wealthy and prominent Epstein bros were clearly accustomed to being catered to, and getting their way. In this particular scandal, money and power played a crucial role.
But it’s important to note that misogynous exploitation—in this case or any other—is not rooted primarily in plutocratic privilege. The sense of unquestioned entitlement to women’s bodies that many observers have noted about “Epstein class” men is hardly confined to the wealthy.
Feminist researchers and journalists, along with advocates and activists in the movements against rape and domestic abuse, have long maintained that men’s violence against women transcends the categories of class, caste and socioeconomic status.
… Epstein’s misogynous beliefs and practices were not an incidental feature of his appeal to the businessmen, scientists and politicians that he drew into his orbit. They were a central part of the draw.
One way to illustrate the myopic nature of the “Epstein class” thesis is simply to juxtapose the behavior of Jeffrey Epstein’s friends and associates with those of the principals in the mass rape horror that rocked France and reverberated around the world over the past few years.
