The Epstein Files' Contribution to Mass Hopelessness

Julianna Concepcion | Opinion Editor

Medical records, medical charts, paper charts in a stack / photo by 'rohaneh', licensed by Envato.com

The emotional reactions we are seeing by the most recent release of the Epstein files is jarring. The fact that people across the world are seeing them be released in real time, naming celebrities, politicians, and other powerful elites, and there seems to be nothing happening as a result. It feels almost as if we have all reached a state of hopelessness, where everyone keeps exclaiming: “When will someone do something?”

But the unfortunate reality is two things: if our government planned on doing something, they wouldn’t have waited for the files to become public to do perp walks. The second reality is that people are going to have to force it, to will it, in order for victims to gain justice.  

I believe that people in the U.S. have reached this weird state of hopelessness—we’ve been handed a lot of the information we asked for (albeit heavily censored and redacted). Now that we have proof of emails detailing violent acts against children, images and videos of how Epstein and other elites paraded and groomed children into doing forcible acts, further exposing them and citizens around the world to this destruction.

I don’t feel strong enough to see it all. As much as I want to continue learning and keeping myself educated on the state of the files and who is in them, I look through them and imagine the pain and suffering those babies went through—what parents, guardians, grandparents, and siblings went through while wondering what happened to these victims. It makes me wonder how many of these children were sold and exploited by their own families, and how many victims there were total.

The truth is, I’m scared, and I can’t look away from the destruction. It's times like these where I hope heaven and hell are real so I can tell myself that even if these elites aren’t punished in this life, they might be punished for eternity at some point. But that isn’t enough for me—I want justice now, for the sake of living and dead victims, for future children, and for a world that is fearful enough of what we’ll do to those who rape and kill.  

While it’s easy to be consumed by this fear and uncertainty, it’s not the time to look away. We need to continue to push for justice, no matter how long it takes. The best thing to do to both pay attention to what’s happening and keep your head on your shoulders is to take breaks wherever you need them. If your Instagram or TikTok feed is full of further information and discovery of this abuse, and you feel like you can’t handle seeing any more of it, play a game, make yourself a drink, take a shower, etc. The only way we can get through this is by staying sane and vigilant.