This level of apologia (from Megan McArdle in a podcast with Josh Barro and Ross Douthat) is fucking appalling. Idk what else there is to say.
It is also very telling that throughout the episode, the feelings/consequences they are trying to understand belong almost exclusively to the pedophiles, not to the victims. In fact, the word 'victim' only shows up in the transcript TWICE.
I have made a scholarly career off of trying to understand why people have historically done things they know they shouldn't because society has given them permission to, and the framing of this whole conversation is honestly disgusting to me
Feb 5, 2026 16:41There is a whole lot going on that is absolutely disgusting. These people should be ashamed of themselves and rounded out of making any kind of comment on society. Their moral voice is null.
and it ignores that Epstein was charged initially w having sex with girls aged 13-17
16 is a fake number they made up bc it sounds more acceptable than 13
it is not! but the Megan Macardles and Josh Barros of the world can more easily shift the conversation to pretending 16 is ok
