One of the things that really bugs me about the "Epstein didn't kill himself" crowd is that they don't seem to understand that really evil people can have other normal human traits. You have probably have met a sexual predator in your life. . . . .

Or a domestic abuser. Or someone who hurts women in some way. We shouldn't divorce the evil someone does from other human activity. If you do this, you are treating these evil people as if they only exist in movies, and are not the people who exist around you.

That's actually a harmful way to conceive of this kind of predation and/or violence. Tons of sexual predators commit suicide in prison. Tons of evil people commit suicide more generally. The man who murdered my friend in a killing spree committed suicide.

These people's behavior in the realm of violence is abnormal--but the way they behave otherwise is often utterly typical. The sooner we stop divorcing these facts, the better we will be at actually believing survivors and understanding violence w/in society.

I wouldn't say any of this if it were just right-wingers endorsing the conspiracy theory. But it's not. Tons of other people sign on too.

Sexual predators committing/attempting suicide in prison is actually not such a bizarre occurrence.

Every time, I, personally, see someone advance this theory, it makes me feel like they haven't considered the fact that very evil people often act normal in other ways. It's frustrating.

Most people who have been abused know that abusers often seem normal in other ways. And, above all, that they can often engage in self-pity and/or self-preservation. That they can be depressed. It doesn't help abuse victims when others don't realize this.

I mean, if you *really* think Epstein didn't kill himself (which I don't know you have evidence for), at the very least acknowledge these facts. Otherwise it seems like you think predators aren't capable of suicide.

And they are.

Also, I’ll add, that when people do this, they’re exploiting real violence against women to advance a separate cause. They’re also ignoring an important way in which Epstein likely denied his victims further justice.

Epstein likely committed auicide. And that was a further violation of his victims. Stop being so glib.

**Urgh** I still have people saying in my mentions it's unlikely he committed suicide. No it is not!! People attempt/commit suicide in prison all the time. There's nothing about this case that makes it unlikely.

And, in case this isn't clear: we often use the humanity of abusers to excuse them. Their depression. Or their participation in other activities. Etc. When you refuse to believe it's possible that a monster like Epstein killed himself, you're contributing to this narrative.

If you have an issue w/ people saying, "He couldn't have committed this violence b/c he was so human in other ways" you should have an EQUAL issue w/ people saying, "He couldn't have committed suicide b/c he was so violent in other ways."

It's the same narrative.