There is no “Epstein Class.” We are confronting something much more powerful and dangerous than one pedophile’s debauched operation that has now been dragged into the light of day. As revealing as the conduct of the ruling class ‘at play’ may be, the horrors that are inflicted on the world during working hours claim many more victims.

Epstein’s network was real and horrific, but the forces shaping war, empire, and capitalism run far deeper

  • brendansimms
    2·
    3 days ago

    I think I understand that the author was saying that arresting everyone involved with the epstein stuff would in no way move the world toward a more equitable socioeconomic system, and focusing on this specific situation takes away from the ‘real’ work necessary to do so. I disagree. I see the epstein situation, and the global awareness and disgust, as a crack in the capitalist system that should be exploited. progressive messaging on this situation could be more along the lines of ‘this child sex trafficking ring is not an abberation within the capitalist system, it is an inevitable feature when obscene wealth is allowed to be concentrated in the hands of a few’. From this perspective, then, using a term like ‘epstein class’ is actually a useful, albeit inaccurate, way of discussing how the socioeconomic system will enable this to happen again (and is most certainly ongoing right now) to people who generally don’t think about things in terms of ‘economic systems’.

    • acargitz@lemmy.caOP
      2·
      3 days ago

      I think I agree with you on almost everything. For me the phrase “epstein class” can only be useful as a gateway to thinking more structurally. The danger is that if people don’t move beyond it, it can reinforce the idea that the world would be a lot better if we replenished our ruling class with better people. Sort of like the “crony capitalism” line, that implicitly contains the yearning for a more “upstanding” and “fair” capitalism.