Revelations and Corrosion
2024 is going to be CRAZY!
photo: wikipedia, Epstein’s Island
Harry and Meghan dominated the gossip headlines for the past three years. They have been sufficiently sliced and diced — rightfully so — so the public is ready to move on to new salacious naughtiness. It’s perfect timing for multiple stories about the big pervs in government, Hollywood, and politics.
Nearly 200 names linked to Jeffrey Epstein are going to be released TODAY. Yes, today. Pull out the last of the Christmas candy and pop that leftover bottle of pinot noir, because it’s going to be a fun night.
One of my favorite gossip dudes on Twitter said that 20 new names will be revealed. @BarkJack_ said:
Marriages will be uprooted, scandals and headlines will run & great shame will be brought upon these people. One person likened being linked to Epstein as the "kiss of death".
The biggest fish on that list is probably Bill Clinton. It’s been widely reported that he was a frequent flier on Epstein’s private jet and stayed at his various estates. Amy Robach from ABC said that Clinton was on the list. Yet, it seems unlikely that they have any concrete dirt on Bill, so he will escape criminal charges.
We all know that Prince Andrew was involved, and it will probably fuck up his redemption efforts to have his name in the headlines again, but I doubt we’re going to get any new stories about him.
Meanwhile, sordid tales are coming about others in Hollywood, too. Sean “Diddy” Combs was accused of a gang-rape of a teenager in 2003, sex trafficking, abusing his girlfriend, and more. (Don’t forget about the City College stampede. This guy was always questionable!)
For years, there have been lots of whispers about Dr. Dre and Jay-Z. Some say that the Diddy situation is going to people the courage to talk about others in the industry.
Random gossip tangent: Kevin Costner might have been involved with both Fergie and Di. Go, Kev!
So, why is all this important? There could be an impact on the business and philanthropic worlds, if some big names have to fork out big settlements and shutter their business operations. However, the bigger impact is harder to quantify.
Seeing the boldfaced names tied to some very creepy behavior is depressing. Some people honestly admired Combs, for example, as well as past presidents. When your idols are exposed as garbage, it hurts.
These revelations fuels cynicism about our leaders. If these stories support the notion that “power corrupts absolutely,” then who do we vote for? Who do we trust to run our economies? Who do put on the cover of Time Magazine and laud for their good deeds in Africa? If all the heroes are hollow, then why should we care about politics, culture, or community? It’s time to build the family bunker in Maine, folks!
Cynicism about American leaders helped propel a jerk Trump into office, which is weird, because he was on Epstein’s Island, too. Trump is hardly a Boy Scout. These revelations also undermine Trump’s criminal proceedings, because his supporters says that he is just doing the same thing as other powerful people. These scandals are great for Trump in many ways.
Remember, the legitimate news sources were way behind on many of these stories. That also creates cynicism about mainstream media. Gossip is the slow drip of truth. As I wrote last year:
And the failure to report entertainment news accurately builds distrust of the mainstream media. How can mainstream sources claim to have the high road on truth, when they don’t tell the truth either? Without tough scrutiny on press releases from outside firms, aren’t their hands dirty in the battle of Internet disinformation?
Corruption and sleaze always have a corrosive impact on democracy and society; more so when those acts are committed by our heroes and leaders. While these revelations and the subsequent lawsuits are destructive in the short run, I hope that it flushes out some scum from the top ranks of our country.
Related
.jpg){kind=link}
LINKS
Several slide show pictures of things that I did in December.
Everybody is talking about Franzen’s article about the wild cats of LA. I’m reading it, after I press “publish” here.
Pictures: We’re on a quest to take pictures outside every state capital in the country. Last weekend, we hit two more. This is us outside the Capitol building in Hartford, CT.
On the Epstein stuff--much is old news already, since NYTimes, WSJ, and the networks have reported some of the details. Here's a NY Magazine account: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/who-are-the-newly-revealed-jeffrey-epstein-associates.html
Apparently, none of these folks have been accused of committing crimes--we'll see. I do think that this topic is off-brand for you--I'm surprised at this discussion.
I was there during the City College Stampede. Nihilism can be deadly.