When paleontologist Riley Black learned that several scientists in her field had appeared in the Epstein files, she wasn’t remotely shocked.

The files have revealed the extent of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s connections not only with powerful politicians and business leaders, but also hundreds of scientists, some of whom accepted funding from him long after his 2008 conviction on soliciting prostitution with a minor.

As the paleontology community reckons with the fallout of these revelations, women in the field say they are a symptom of a deeper misogyny and power imbalance in the field.

CBC spoke to several women in paleontology, both on and off the record, who describe navigating spaces where abuse and harassment are rampant, funding and fame are prioritized above all else and institutions protect established men at the top at the expense of younger women trying to build careers.

  • TheObviousSolution@thebrainbin.org
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    12 hours ago

    From my understanding, the pedophilia was used as a means, not the ends. They wanted to be influential, and trying to get socially awkward scientific leaders who probably didn’t have great relationships with the opposite sex was probably particularly effective.

    They tried to create an exclusive “social elite” men’s club, using prostitution and pedophilia as their tools, and sure it’s an example of misogyny and power imbalance, but frankly, I still wouldn’t respect them if we flipped around the genders or evened them out. Science doesn’t have an Epstein problem, it has a misogyny and power imbalance problem.

    Maybe it also has a pedophilia and prostitution problem, but the article doesn’t really explore that, it’s just guilt by association. Which, fair enough, it’s Epstein, but I doubt being as manipulative as they were that they tried to sell themselves the same to everybody.

  • frongt@lemmy.zip
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    22 hours ago

    Yeah. It’s not a paleontology problem, or a science problem, it’s societal.

      • Velma@lemmy.today
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        21 hours ago

        It was not only children that were raped, trafficked, and murdered.

        For that matter, it wasn’t only girls and women either.

      • village604@adultswim.fan
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        21 hours ago

        I’d be shocked if the Epstein clients only raped children.

        For people like that it’s not about being turned on by children, it’s about being turned on by exerting power and control over someone weaker.

        And for people like Trump it’s about destroying vulnerable people. Children are just the most vulnerable so I’m sure it feels better, but they get off on hurting anyone.

  • Velma@lemmy.today
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    22 hours ago

    I am shocked, shocked! that the science and academia fields are full of misogynistic pedophiles even after years and decades and centuries of similar stories told by women over and over and over and over again. Shocking I tell you!

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        20 hours ago

        Nobel laureate Daniel Carleton Gajdusek pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse yesterday. Gajdusek, 73, who is currently free on $350,000 bail, is expected to serve a jail term of between 9 months and 1 year and be on probation for 5 years. Sentencing is set for 29 April. According to a plea bargain entered yesterday in the Frederick County Circuit Court in Maryland, he will be allowed to conduct virus research overseas as soon as he finishes serving his sentence. In most cases, a person cannot travel for extended periods during probation.

        Oh goody, he only got jailed for 1 year and given all sorts of special privileges, too.

  • panthera_@lemmy.today
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    21 hours ago

    Is the problem really just seeking funds? The article said that Horner sent an email thanking Jeffrey and the girls. The problem is desire for sex outside of marriage.