Here was a man who felt he was rich enough to do whatever he wanted. Too big to fail.
A cunning man whose conscience was clear because he didn’t have one.
Perhaps that was his path to happiness. As the poet wrote:
There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all.
~ Ogden Nash, American poet, 1902 – 1971
Epstein was not born into wealth. So what was up with him that he was able to not only establish connections with an elite circle of powerful and wealthy white guys but assume the role of Alpha Male among Alpha Males? Leader of the pack with his own global playground and private jet for getaways for his many billionaire friends. Able to court and then entice some of them to engage in illegal sex acts with his web of naïve young school girls.
Charisma
First, he had to have personal magnetism. And according to his many friends and recipients of his largesse, he had that in spades. You may have seen the 1992 NBC archives tape in which one of his admirers extols his virtues:
I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years . . . Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life. ~ A U.S. President
Epstein was equally masterful in presenting himself to the girls as “a great guy, a father figure, a mentor” who would shower them with compliments and gifts.
Conniving Pedophile
A serial sexual predator, the man had an illegal passion for underage girls. [i] He took their innocence.
His former girlfriend and alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell (why is she not in jail?) recruited high school girls and introduced them to prostitution, pimping, sex slavery. Groomed them in specific ways to please him.
And he got away with it for decades. As of this writing, not one of the people in his sphere of influence – his staff of secretaries, doctors and psychiatrists who prescribe tranquilizers and anti-depressants, dentists who whitened the girls’ teeth, his pilot – not one of them has been brought to justice yet for their collusion.
Narcissistic Sociopath
Sociopaths play by a different set of rules. They do what serves them. Epstein had the narcissists’ sense of entitlement. The world revolved around his lust for power and sexual pleasure.
He used people and he appears to have had no remorse for his victims.
He was good at targeting and signing up people he sensed would be a good mark. Where the girls were concerned, “He would find out they have no home, no car, that they need a place to live, and he would provide a place to live . . . get you to the best doctors.” [ii] He would promise to help them get into a career in modelling. Or their choice of university (Harvard, NYU). He then “threatened, manipulated and sexually abused them.” [iii]
Epstein was adept at scoping out people he could extort or otherwise profit from. As my friend John put it: Why don’t you come to my island for a visit? They had some drinks. Young girls showed up. It started with a massage. From there, it was a slippery slope. If Jeffrey Epstein had told Prince Andrew he would be having sex with a girl younger than his own daughters, he would not have got involved. Once you’re in a situation . . . you’re on a person’s island, you’ve had a few drinks, attractive and provocatively dressed young girls show up . . . it’s easy for a man to let the dark side break through.
We now know that Epstein had a cache of photos. Hidden cameras were found in his homes in Manhattan, Palm Beach, New Mexico and on his private Caribbean islands. You can just hear the implicit: “It would be a shame if something happened to your reputation . . . “
Epstein created his own fantasy world in support of his grandiose view of self. The sociopath had such a high opinion of himself that he even had a plan “to use his New Mexico ranch as a base to impregnate women, thus spreading his DNA and improving the human race.” (That would have been an improvement to the gene pool, all right!)
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August, 2019. I for one do not believe his death was self-inflicted. But that is a conversation for another day.
That’s my reflection on the psyche of a very sick man. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Contact me: https://endemotionalhurt.com/contact/
[i] Virginia Roberts Giuffre Interview | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLAzubOpOtg
[ii] https://nypost.com/2019/09/20/jeffrey-epstein-reportedly-paid-doctors-to-medicate-sex-slaves/
[iii] Khan, Sheema. By keeping Jeffrey Epstein’s money, Harvard has failed its students. The Globe And Mail, Saturday, September 21, 2019 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-by-keeping-jeffrey-epsteins-money-harvard-has-failed-its-students/
