Why would men of power and privilege open themselves to potential extortion?

Men such as movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, television icon Bill Cosby and now (say it isn’t so!) the esteemed tenor, Placido Domingo.

But my focus in this series is something more heinous. Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking ring involved underage girls, some as young as 14 years old. What is the long-term impact of sexual crimes on young victims’ lives?

As you may have read, Jeffrey Epstein’s address book listed about 1,000 names of the “ruling elite”: American presidents, prominent politicians, princes, prime ministers, ambassadors, dignitaries and other world leaders. Financiers, business executives. Nobel Prize winners. Real estate moguls, scientists, academics, attorneys and Hollywood celebrities. Lots and lots of men of public stature, wealth and privilege.

Some of them have been implicated in court filings of taking part in a global sex trafficking ring involving naïve, underage girls, some as young as 14 years of age. That would make these guys pedophiles.

Some of whom are now saying they “know nothing about the terrible crimes.” Right. We almost believe you.

The sordid details of Jeffrey Epstein’s antics are readily available online and needn’t be repeated here.

For me, the psychological piece is the most interesting aspect of this story. Why would a grown man be attracted to adolescent girls?

What are the conscious and unconscious drives behind why successful men would entangle themselves with women young enough to be their biological daughters and open themselves to potential extortion and criminal prosecution?

Why would a man of power and privilege be attracted to adolescent girls?

1. Is he in it for the ego massage? Is he toying with reclaiming his sexual prowess? Is it because young girls will value what he has accomplished in life? Is it because they make no demands?

2. Jeffrey Epstein used young, attractive girls as lures. Was it the “lure of the forbidden fruit?” There’s a certain thrill to doing something you’re not supposed to do. These men could have hired escorts if all they wanted was sex. Is illicit sex more desirable?

There’s a ring of truth to this. We know that if drugs are not illegal, the lure is decreased. One man I interviewed reminded me that when Portugal made history by becoming the first country in the world to decriminalize the consumption of all drugs in 2001, cocaine and heroin use plunged. Do you suppose it was because the thrill was gone?

3. They have connections. The behavior – including engaging in sex acts with under aged women during naked massage sessions is not as bad if others do it too. And if other powerful people look the other way. Right? It lessens the stigma. I’m told that breaking the man code that exists between men is taboo. That ratting out on a male friend or colleague is verboten.

I ask myself, did they absolve themselves of rational guilt? Or did that never enter their minds?

4. Belong to the ruling elite—a select club, a tribe of wealthy, powerful men who have standing in society. Is illicit sex the last bastion of male privilege corrupted by authority, power and wealth?

5. Is it a sense of entitlement? The Epstein modus operandi described both in court filings and in journalistic accounts has much in common with allegations about other rich, famous, and powerful men who have been accused of treating people “as mere instruments of their own desires.”

The only reasonable explanation I can come up with for why men of power and privilege would so engage is that it’s a complex combination of all the above. And . . . because they can.

Why do young women like older men? Maybe they like a man who looks a little battered by life? That’s next.

[1] Garber, Megan. When Jeffrey Epstein Joked About Sex Abuse One of the many gutting elements of the allegations against the billionaire financier: how gleefully he flaunted his impunity. The Atlantic, July 9, 2019