The Epstein Scandal – A Wake-up Call for America

The release by the U.S. Department of Justice of the massive files on the nefarious activities of finance mogul Jeffrey Epstein, and his extensive network in the corridors of power of several nations, has caused a veritable tsunami of outrage in the Western world. While many salacious stories have been told about the private lives of the rich and famous, the Epstein story simply boggles the mind. Much of his criminal – and morally repugnant – activities will never be known after his alleged suicide in prison. But there is enough in the public domain for people to stand appalled at the extent of depravity he – and others – were involved in. 

More striking, of course, is the fact of his extensive contacts with otherwise “well-respected” men of business and government, at the highest levels of society. Indeed, the trail leads to senior members of European nobility, including members of the British Royal Family.  The real question people have to ask themselves is, how did this happen in our otherwise open – and transparent – society, where the people involved were considered as those of high moral standing by most of the citizenry.

The seedier side of the Epstein operations occurred on Little Saint James, Epstein’s island in the Caribbean. Participants no doubt felt secure, relying on the old adage “What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas,” namely that in a secure and rather seclusive venue, whatever happens there remains confidential. Now, however, those confidential activities are appearing in all forms of public media around the world.

There are numerous aspects to consider in trying to detect the origin of this descent of numerous“ leading lights” of Western society into the cesspool of depravity that took place on Epstein’s island and in other locations. With the increasing gap between rich and poor within the Western world, an impression that success is represented by wealth rather than by intellectual or other worthy accomplishments has been created. This is also promoted by mass media with their continual “reality shows,” fawning on the lavish private lives of the rich and famous, and following every move of the Hollywood “glitterati.” While it plays on  the fantasies of viewers, allowing them to live vicariously through the lives of their favorite celebrities, it also serves to “dumb down” society, providing people with an escape from the day-to-day problems that they face, be they economic, social and cultural, which are making life increasingly more difficult.

Political elections themselves have become something of a variety show, in which the voter has the option of choosing from one or more candidates previously “vetted” by political elites or their financial backers. A notable exception to this is the recent New York mayoral election of Zohran Mamdani, whose victory was powered by a significant grassroots mobilization. This movement was galvanized in part by intense youth reaction to the conflict in Gaza, channeling energy into a highly effective get-out-the-vote operation. Such phenomena are extremely rare these days, but may bode well for the future. It is probably unlikely that President Trump would have reached the White House, had he not appeared for a number of years on his own, relatively popular, TV program “The Apprentice.” The overwhelming cost of a presidential, or even a congressional election today, now requires that candidates themselves be among “the rich and famous,” or at least be able to appeal to someone from that category to foot the bill of an election campaign. No longer do we get the candidate we deserve. We get the candidate who has been properly tailored to the interests of the financial and political elites.

The development of Western “popular” culture represents a tremendous degeneration during the entire postwar era. First came the terror of the McCarthy era in the 1950s and then the insanity of the New Age cults in the 60s and 70s, coming out of the traumatic experience of the John F. Kennedy assassination and the Vietnam War. The increasing violence and depravity in our films and television shows, and, particularly for the younger generation, in the information offered online, serves to promote the more egoistic, hedonistic impulses in people, making them more prone to follow these impulses than to resist them. This is generally also a key factor in the frequent school shootings which have become an ever-present occurrence in American life.

The British angle on the Epstein files is also most telling. Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite daughter of British newspaper mogul, Robert Maxwell, was convicted of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. Eager to gain influence in U.S. politics and utilize American brawn in the service of British “brains,” from Winston Churchill on, the British have always seen America simply as a powerful colossus. The appointment of well-connected (and since sacked) Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States was thought to be a smart move in gaining an influence over the rather mercurial President Trump. The strategy worked for a time until the British ambassador was exposed as part of Epstein’s cohort.  Now, even British Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, has been forced to resign on February 8 for advising Starmer on the controversial appointment of Mandelson.

From ancient Rome to the British Empire, the absolute control of power by financial elites, eager only to line their pockets, had always led to cultural and social decline. If the U.S. continues to ignore the genuine republican values that lay at the basis of the founding of the American Republic, in its 250th anniversary celebration, it too will be subject to the same inevitable decline. The signs are already apparent, but the solution lies in the hands of an informed electorate.