Vance and the trappings of priviledge

[Old Crank]

From Krugmans newlwtter today.
Hw talks about why JD had to show up in Milan with a flotilla load of people and vehicles. I hear 14 planes and 20 Huge SUVs. \too big for Milans streets. Everyone in his cabinet are getting massive perks and JD is just on that gravey train. The people won't leave because they want to be treated like important people and get their perks. At your expense of course.

then he drops this little jewel about the people who drove the backlash against the Me Too movement and DEI.
...................

Obviously the most important aspect of that scandal is the lurid elite corruption revealed by what we already know (and what is still being covered up?). The backlash against Me Too and cancel culture takes on new meaning now that we know that some leading figures in that backlash were having sex with underage girls.

cut

So what was the secret of Epstein’s influence? I’m speculating here, but I believe that a lot of his reach came from his skill at seducing people by providing them with a sense of exclusivity and privilege. To be associated with Epstein meant receiving invitations to participate in fancy dinners or to stay at one of his many luxurious residences in all the best places, including his private island. If you were chums with Jeffrey Epstein, you felt that you were a member of a glittering set of insiders. And that was enough to make you look away when the young woman pouring your drink looked just a little bit too much like your teenage daughter.