Chaira Koops read the Epstein files: ‘The virus of power-hungry, misogynistic men is deeply rooted in our system’

Columnist Chaira Koops has read the Epstein files with amazement in recent months. She was, like many, shocked by the content and above all: that nothing happens. Why do the roots of this problem remain untouched, she wonders.

Wealth and power are inextricably linked.

I honestly don’t even know where to start. Over the past few months I have been keeping an eye on the well-known Epstein files with surprise, but then again. Google his name and you will drown in articles, analyzes and speculation. Hundreds. Probably thousands. I can no longer see the forest for the trees, but one thing is crystal clear: nothing else happens.

We are shocked by the long list of well-known names and at the same time not. We have known about his shady dealings for a long time and at the same time we don’t fully realize it. We are in disbelief that such people could go about their business with impunity and at the same time we know perfectly well.

The virus of power-hungry, misogynistic men is deeply rooted in our system. Just when you think one has been exposed, the next one is already up. Sometimes even openly, in the most powerful positions imaginable. What we call “scandals” are actually symptoms. This virus has been crawling through the foundations of our society for years. No longer just in the shadows, but right on stage. In the full spotlight.

A friendship with Donald Trump (pretends to be shocked). Connections with the Norwegian royal family, Dutch models and countless politicians. Businessmen. Scientists. Untouchable elite. It’s like mopping with the tap open, while we watch with moral outrage.

There are protests, there are hashtags and there are opinion pieces like this one. But it’s not enough. The consequences for perpetrators and those involved remain minimal and the victims are scarred for life.

In Europe, some people linked to Epstein may lose their jobs. Or a title. Or they get a slap on the wrist. In the United States we mainly see the latter for the time being. But honestly, I don’t even care about the punishment. Not because of a lost title or a position.

I have the feeling that we lose sight of what this is really about: the foundation, the roots. You can prune the rotten leaves from a tree, but as long as the roots remain untouched, everything will just grow back.

How do you tackle those hard roots of wealth plus power? I don’t have the full answer. What I do know is that it not only starts with massive outrage, but also with daring to look at the system that makes this possible. And with the willingness to actually change that system. Perhaps we should stop constantly kicking ‘down’ and finally dare to kick up. On the power, not on the powerless.