The Emergence of 'Epstein Class' in American Political Discourse
As documents related to the notorious financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein gradually become public, critics of the Justice Department's approach to the case are identifying a troubling pattern. The extensive use of redactions appears designed to shield powerful individuals rather than protect victims, sparking a new vocabulary to describe this phenomenon.
Political Figures Embrace the Term
Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, recently delivered a speech that brought the term "Epstein class" into official political discourse. Speaking on February 7, Ossoff declared, "We were told that MAGA was for working-class Americans. But this is a government of, by, and for the ultra-rich. It is the wealthiest Cabinet ever. This is the Epstein class."
Ossoff continued his critique, stating, "They are the elites they pretend to hate. If you're Steve Bannon... how do you sell any of this? Trump was supposed to fight for the working class. Instead, he's literally closing rural clinics and hospitals to cut taxes for George Soros and Elon Musk."
Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who was among the first politicians to use the term, explained his motivation to HuffPost. "I began using it to challenge the 'elite' — and largely unaccountable — wealthy individuals who believe they can play by a different set of rules," Khanna stated.
"Americans are sick of elite impunity. There cannot be two tiers of justice, where wealthy men who abused young girls are protected while survivors are silenced," Khanna emphasized. "That is what the effort to release the Epstein files has been about, and why I started calling it the 'Epstein class.'"
The Linguistic Power of Naming
Josephine Lukito, a professor of digital communication at the University of Southern Denmark who studies political language, observes that the term has developed significant resonance. "Every time the Epstein case comes up, I feel like [the term 'Epstein class'] reemerges more and more," Lukito noted. "I think it has a sort of catchy quality to it that seems to resonate with people when they talk about the Epstein case."
Lukito explains that the phrase possesses the characteristics of effective movement language. Similar to "Me Too" and "Black Lives Matter," it's concise and memorable. Americans particularly respond to adjective-noun combinations in political contexts, she observes.
"I don't know if I'd go so far as to say it brings people together," Lukito commented, "but it certainly resonates with a lot of people and can help motivate a movement."
Class Consciousness in American Discourse
Discussing class in the United States presents unique challenges, Lukito acknowledges. Terms related to socioeconomic status can be "loaded," yet this very quality may contribute to their power.
"Historically, we talk about the ruling class, the wealthy class, the bourgeoisie class — and so, a lot of times when we do talk about class, it's a really quick indicator for wealth," Lukito explained. "I think that really speaks to the uniqueness of the Epstein case in particular."
She continued, "Certainly the U.S. has seen many abuse cases, often involving multiple people, but I think what kind of brings the abusers and the Epstein case together is their wealth, right? They kind of vary by partisanship and by profession, but a lot of the Epstein case itself is really surrounded by an egregious amount of wealth and the ability to use that wealth to exploit children."
Breaking Through Resistance to Class Discussion
Terms like "the Epstein class" may help overcome American reluctance to engage with class issues, Lukito suggests. "It's not just critiquing power, but, like, wealth and power: economic power," she observed.
"Historically, a lot of terms that are related to kind of wealth and power tend to be silenced," Lukito noted, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.'s less-discussed activism around poverty and wealth. However, she detects growing appetite for frank discussion of these topics, particularly among Americans experiencing economic hardship.
"A lot of Americans, especially given economic disparity right now, they have a lot of anger and frustration towards the wealthy and the ruling class," Lukito explained. "The Epstein case certainly is an encapsulation of that, right? We see that rage coming out in so many other contexts: in health care, in frustration towards tech bros and seeing a lot of the relationships between the wealthy and politicians."
She summarized, "Americans recognize that wealth is bipartisan, and wealth contributes to abuse. And 'Epstein class' encapsulates a lot of that. It continues to be a big reason why it resonates. I don't know if I would go so far as to call it class consciousness, but there's certainly a widespread frustration, hatred, anger towards those who extract wealth and keep it for themselves."
Measuring the Term's Impact and Staying Power
Lukito, who has studied numerous political catchphrases, identifies unique aspects of how "Epstein class" has spread. "In past examples of catchphrases and terms that I've studied, a lot of them have appeared on text-based social media platforms, something like Twitter," she noted. "This is the one that's kind of different. I would say that Epstein class as a term is more in the nascent stage. I haven't necessarily seen it used as a specific hashtag. It's appearing more in comments of videos as opposed to more of a text-based platform."
The true test of a term's significance, according to Lukito, comes when it "moves across multiple different platforms" and transcends specific communities. When language becomes "salient or popular enough that it's moving across a lot of different social media platforms and a lot of different internet users," it demonstrates genuine cultural impact.
The longevity of the Epstein story itself will influence whether the term endures. "I think when catchphrases are really powerful, it's because there's a sort of staying power when it comes to the news story that's being covered, whether it's police brutality or sexual assault," Lukito observed. "Certainly, this is not going to be even the last time we hear about the Epstein case."
She predicted, "I suspect that this news story will emerge over and over again — this year, next year. I would gander that every time it emerges, that term 'Epstein class' will also emerge. And it'll be interesting to see whether it grows in popularity or traction."
Lukito emphasized that political figures adopting the term will be crucial to its broader acceptance. "I think when we see that sort of adoption, especially by larger public figures, those are all signs that a term like 'Epstein class' is gaining momentum," she concluded.
