epstein files. (UPDATED 2/12, HAS RESOURCES AND LINKS)
As you might expect, I have a lot to say about the files. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time or energy to say it all, but it matters that I say what I can and as much as I can. It matters that you do the same. I apologize that this is another moment I'm compelled to talk about current events like this, because it's not really my plan for this blog. But at the same time, this is my life, this is what's happening, and this is what's on my mind so much that is weighs on my soul. Thus, I often seem disgusted and angry in these words because I am. Aren't you also angry? Don't you just want to go ape-shit?
What I would love for more people to keep in mind is that they are not millionaires and they most likely will never be one. Even less so as a billionaire. Yes, that means you. Sorry, but you and I are not in that special class of people who run our country and are seemingly exempt from the law. Let's always keep that in mind when we vote and consider our political stances. Also, there's a lot of very rich politicians, too, who have a lot of money riding on you thinking they care about your best interest and not their bank account. It's okay if you want to think that anyone that hits a certain tax bracket stops being a real person if you want. I promise, I won't tell. You're in a safe space to do that. And why shouldn't you? What does asslicking a rich person you've never met going to tangibly do for you besides make your life even harder and make you seem like a loser? If that shit got anyone anything, we'd all be doing it by now.
But it doesn't. It makes everyone's lives worse.
The world really needs to stop the worship of rich people.
Famous people are not nearly as interesting as to warrant attention that they will almost certainly profit off of. And that profit? A waste for the economy at best, funds for unfathomably evil deeds at worst.
There's at least 5 fictional characters, 3 historical figures, and 100 real-life working-class people in your circle or community that are much more interesting, exciting, and fulfillingly complex than any mainstream celebrity as you know them. Yes, to an extent this included musicians and other types of artists. You should study them like you would an invasive species; one which is understandingly doing what they can to survive to a point, is ultimately bad for the ecosystem they're a part of and destructive to valuable resources. I realize many of these people make art and music that will speak to you on a personal level. Much of the time you will read that there is some sort of sincere origin of the piece and it is made with the main intent to express something very meaningful. This art could get you through things the way a friend or family would. But, it's still not human, and you just plain were not there when the work was made. Maybe you think you were, through video footage or social media posts, maybe celebrity gossip about how such and such album is about whatever break up or what have you. But I think for a lot of people, it's just plain time to grow up out of celeb worship. I want to be understanding and I am to a point, but ultimately I just don't get it. And like...one of my top 3 music artists is Grimes of all people. I listen to her music often but she doesn't make a dime from me(yarr). I don't participate in any communities for her or anything like that because to me that's just kinda weird on principle, but also because much of what people would be talking about is her as a public figure, and not her music, because that's just how things usually are. She's made a lot of choices I really don't get and don't like. But ultimately, even though I would dare to guess her and I are very similar, I can't waste time ruminating over it because she's still in a different planet from me. Nearly all of them are, unless you're talking about someone on an indie scene of some sort.
Rolling back, I don't think you need to outright hate a celebrity on principle. But they shouldn't be your hobby. You shouldn't trust them to tell you the truth, ever. You need to just take what you like from them and get on with your life. It's okay to agree with what a public figure does, that's normal, but the woobifying? Saying they're just like you for real because they talk about liking pizza or something? Come on. I think there's already been a push away from the worship, because it used to be terrible in the 2010's. I see this still going on often with musicians or people who have played likeable characters. I get it, it's sometimes just a fun fandom to be a part of, but often it's about how you spend your time. I'm actually pretty born and bred in fandoms so I know the huge highs you can get from all the intense, raw social energy that comes from a shared experience when a new episode comes out, or new things are teased about next season, or when actors tease a ship...like, I really do get it. I've been the type to listen to podcasts of creators and I've got a couple of "literally me" rich people (Trey Parker is at the top of this pyramid lmao) that I have to actively rip myself away from for a minute when I get into watching comic-con panels and interviews and remind myself this is a person that could be doing terrible things behind closed doors and I wouldn't know because I don't know them personally. This is a person that lives in a completely different world of wealth at this point. They profit from me feeling the way I do and have the money to create an illusion of what I think they are. They are not my friend, and they don't know me. If they did, would they care or just make me think they do?
It's not just about never meeting your heroes. It's more about changing what you do when you seek heroes out. It's about grounding yourself and learning to love and enjoy things without losing your values and losing reality. I realize this isn't just way less fun, but for a lot of people like myself, they can remember a time when giving themselves to a fandom this hard was a survival skill. But the thing is, it's more of a toxic self-medication. Like a drug, you might meet some great friends, see yourself create more than you ever would have, and hit great highs that can sometimes keep you alive. But the poison is in the dosage and dependence of such caliber is always a bad sign. You get those big highs, but you will hit those big lows. When you run out of juice for whatever reason (post-finale hype ends, you run out of fanfics you like, you've seen all the good fanart, etc) it always feels empty. I think the pursuit of related celebrities is a byproduct of chasing the highs. I realize this probably sounds like insane rambling, but I think much of this cycle can be like a drug for most people. I don't think it's some sort of special case either, where a few weirdos are getting too into their thing and making it a problem. I think it's just how we've normalized everything. We're so quick to grab onto the next dopamine hit, and the humans who are elevated to a status of Real Yet Not Real with endless footage of them looking shiny, pretty, always saying the charismatic thing that's so easy to digest, with their moments of Realâ„¢ where they seem so natural and relatable...like a high school of different characters that fit neatly into all the accepted demographics, in the exact numbers for each category that most people can keep track of and digest. There's a certain FIFO rotation of the famous figureheads that feel intentionally planned to keep things interesting and fresh, a perfect balance that the moment a tip to the scale happens we notice something off but we often struggle to articulate what.
To be fair, a large number of celebrities wish to live more private lives, and to that part alone, I am in support.
...to a point. I actually think this is where the power can shift back to the people if done well, as there should be a laser focus when a person of fame gets away with anything we wouldn't be allowed to. But, does that possibly turn into a theater of clowns trying to outdo each other in depravity? Are we going to instead watch train wreck after train wreck in horror as Nothing Ever Happens once again? I don't know. I used to think that sort of dramatic conclusion was just that; a conclusion before the people show up storming and gutting the penthouses in search of their newest rolling head. But this isn't France, this is what I assume is the product of careful planning and work to assure nothing de-thrones the elites ever, ever again. And with the documents I've seen, and the economics I do understand, I know there isn't a bit of tinfoil on my head. But there is disgust in my gut.
As with everything in regards to The Documents, every facet of this ordeal is a fucking ton to unpack. It's going to take so, so long for people to go over everything and cross-reference data within the documents and from other sources. It's so much on purpose, to keep us overwhelmed and exhausted to even think about it. But please, please, do not let this be the case for you. Take your time, bookmark and save for later if you need, and please TALK ABOUT THEM. Tell everyone you can. Do not let people's discomfort stop you. Shame people for trying to shut you down (within reason, I suppose). Connect with other people in your position, trying to figure out the truth. This is such an earth-shattering event. The things you've been told for years are conspiracy theories from people with too much screen time are actually true. You don't need to feel shame for not believing it when you were given little credible evidence, but now you have the credible evidence. That's the thing, you have to pivot without any guilt because quite frankly you're wasting time. What can you do now? You can keep up with the investigation groups, you can talk to people about all of this on a regular basis. You can even look through the files yourself and see what you can find, because millions of files need millions of eyes sifting through the insane amount of information. This stuff is dark and it's going to be painful to get through. You're going to need to keep yourself in check but at the fucking least, you can stop with the celeb-worship. The rich people worship. The politician worship. These are people who have more money and power than you, and if they were your friend, they would lift you up to ensure you have the exact same amount of wealth or power that you do. These are not like a quirky teacher you get to laugh at and be annoyed when they give you too much homework. These are the people who decide things that change your entire life. These people have powers that could get you killed. These people don't become your friends until they're done fighting for you and they've given up their crown.
Open up a history book. Or maybe a history article. Wikipedia if you must. I am begging you. Here you might find heroes, but more importantly you'll notice patterns. You see the sources of power imbalances and see the way people handled corrupt leadership and how that turned out over time. You'll have to learn to read past the bias that often comes from history being written by the winners and you'll probably forget all the dates and names you read but it's the stories and the nations that remain. I wish I could be nice and just ask you nicely and hope that works but genuinely this is all for you in the end, there's no putting this off on the other guy or hoping it all goes away. In fact, if people in the future become silent then honestly that's pretty much it in regards to any justice in this world. You have to fight for it. You don't really have a choice. Too many people have become lazy and complacent in the face of the growing need to do what is right. You have no one to cover your shift anymore. Sitting down on this should make you uncomfortable. Total inaction should be known widespread as shameful.
Resources:
►►►Epstein library official release link as of now◄◄◄
►►►Data sets of the files, PDFs◄◄◄
►►►all the videos from the files in an easy to watch format◄◄◄
►►►Navigate the emails like a gmail account, hover over redacted areas for possible guesses to source or context◄◄◄
►►►Epstein general subreddit, biggest and most active so far◄◄◄
►►►Demand Full Epstein Case File Release and Public Hearings◄◄◄
â–ºCourt filings and legal documents, including those from the trial of Ghislaine Maxwellâ—„
â–º"Epstein and Israel from nonpartisan news site Dropnewsâ—„
â–ºMother Jones article from 2020; "I called everyone in jeffery epstein's little black book"â—„
â–ºMaxwell was a top mod to multiple subreddits for many years up until her arrestâ—„
â–ºNBC NEWS- Latest Jeffrey Epstein file disclosures rock the rich and powerful: Top takeawaysâ—„
So, that's it, just rich people bad, nothing else to say? Absolutely not. I have way more to say about the misogyny, the global political implications, the entire part about the origin 4chan's /pol/ board and how it was ground zero for so much of the political circus today, the handling of the file releases themselves, the entire holy fuck cannibalism thing, and so much more it makes my head spin. But fuck it, I'm still here for this bullshit hell of a ride, and you should be too. You can complain the entire way if you want, maybe crack a dark joke or two (tread lightly on that one, these victims are real people, mostly women and girls), but you have to stay seated until the shitshow reaches some sort of completion. I don't know what that is. I don't even know what justice would look like for any of this. I don't even know if justice is possible. But I think it's worth fighting for. They deserve to feel as scared for their future as we do. They deserve to be powerless in every way possible. They desperately want you do stop trying anything and stop talking about it.
Some people die for justice. All you need to do is talk, read, and keep talking. It's all worth doing. Human power is in human connection, and human communication. Keep fucking talking about this shit!