The Epstein Files’ Terrible Writing Is a Lesson in the Psychology of Power

Why are the Epstein files full of highly educated people writing like third graders? Psychology provides an explanation (and a warning). 

EXPERT OPINION BY JESSICA STILLMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, INC.COM @ENTRYLEVELREBEL

Illustration: Inc.; Photos: Wikimedia Commons; Courtesy The Department of Justice

The Epstein files are full of horrible abuses of power by the wealthy and well connected. They are also full of horrible spelling and punctuation. 

With scarcely a properly capitalized sentence to be seen among the millions of pages of documents, the files are “riddled with egregious misspellings and lackluster punctuation by not just convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a college dropout, but also his Ivy League connections,” Rachel Louise Ensign and Alexandra Wexler recently pointed out in the Wall Street Journal. 

And it’s not just disreputable billionaires unbothered by hobnobbing with a convicted pedophile who write like third graders. 

Ensign and Wexler round up several other recent examples of big shots producing writing that would earn an F in English class. They include Jack Dorsey’s all lower case memo announcing the layoff of half Block’s staff and media mogul David Ellison’s texts to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO “Daivd” Zaslav. 

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This sloppiness annoys language scolds. But why should the average entrepreneur care? There are clearly far more consequential conversations to be had about the revelations in the Epstein files. But their sloppy English still contains an important lesson in how humans signal power and judge others’ status. 

Can technology and informality explain the Epstein files’ terrible writing? 

Ensign and Wexler’s article digs into why so many well educated people seem to have forgotten how to use spell check. Technology and changing mores come in for much of the blame. 

“Before the digital era, executives, lawmakers and other important people often communicated via secretaries and press releases. Now they fire off messages from their phones and computers day and night. Voice-to-text and autocorrect functions can make things worse,” the pair write. 

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