Daniel Richman in NYT: ‘But we should recognize the release of millions of pages of the Epstein files as both a sign of institutional failure and a cause for concern. If our justice system were working properly, the public would never have such access.’

He adds: ‘The power of shame can be a good thing, and some reputations deserve to be tarnished. But informal accountability processes can easily slide into misuse of unfiltered source material.’

Yes, shaming and humiliating have been favorite pastimes on social media for quite some time.

Richman again: ‘At the heart of criminal enforcement authority is the power to invade privacy.’

Now that we are DIY prosecutors, we invade privacy all the time and justify our actions by insisting that we are fighting evil.

The Epstein files have provided us with the spectacle of falling men, many of them successful academics or public servants.

The comfort of schadenfreude.

(a sf 2064)