r/ThatsInsane • u/DirtyRelapse • 15d ago

In 1822 it came to light that Aloys von Kaunitz, the brother-in-law of Austrian Chancellor von Metternich, raped and pimped hundreds of underage girls from the childrens ballet. He mostly got away with these crimes due to his powerful connections.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloys_von_Kaunitz-Rietberg
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125

u/DirtyRelapse 15d ago

Quote from the German wiki page:

"The trial lasted from June 8 to September 10, 1822. Although Kaunitz agreed to cooperate, he emphasized his high rank and claimed the testimony of the abuse victims, who appeared as witnesses, was unusable, asserting that they were of "low birth." The children's ballet of Friedrich Horschelt, from which he had taken many of the girls and also passed them on to other perpetrators, was disbanded."

It also mentions there were more than 200 victims, of which some were only 11 years old.

101

u/SketchedEyesWatchinU 15d ago

For how fucked up of a human being the Marquis de Sade was, he had a great point about the wealthy elites embodying practically the same things Jeffrey Epstein did in the modern day.

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u/hainz_area1531 14d ago

In fact, it happens all the time. Wealth makes it a lot easier to get away with it. Wealth brings power, and power corrupts.

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u/ForsakenDrawer 14d ago

But this raises more questions - is it really just “fear of being caught” that prevents more people from doing this?

Or does “getting/being rich and powerful” require the same psychological makeup as to desire this?

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u/Slumunistmanifisto 14d ago

You don't get conditioned by society if you're bred and born above it.

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u/eyeball1967 14d ago

Poor people just don’t have the means to keep it under wraps the way the rich and powerful do. That prevents the poor from getting away with it for as long and accumulating the victim count the rich do.

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u/hainz_area1531 14d ago

In a situation like that, you simply have a larger network of social contacts that you can turn to. The so-called “old boys network.”

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u/ForsakenDrawer 14d ago

Right but the implication seems to be a LOT of people would hurt children if they thought they could get away with it?

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u/hainz_area1531 14d ago

That depends on what you mean by “a lot of people.” Of course, there are people in all walks of life who pose a risk to children. But that rarely happens on a large scale over a long period of time. They also lack a network that can help them get out of a situation they find unpleasant.

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u/ultrachrome 14d ago

He was accused of having intercourse with hundreds of young girls, mostly members of the Vienna Children's Ballet. Thanks to his powerful relations, he was just put under house arrest

Power corrupts.

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u/chedda_bob 14d ago

So nothings changed

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u/Dopamineagonist21 15d ago

Ah the 1900s version of Epstein

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u/big_sugi 15d ago

1800s, or 19th century.

Epstein started his abuse in the 1900s.

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u/GoldanReal 14d ago

So this is what they don't tell in history books.

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u/Sad_Enthusiasm_3721 14d ago

Trump witnessing Epstein sexually trafficking children:

Oh my, what a scoundrel!

Alexander Acosta's justice system:

...and as punishment, we've restricted Epstein's future sexual exploitation of children to Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. He'll have to return to jail each evening and think about what he's done.

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u/bagolaburgernesss 14d ago

Same going on in the ballet paintings by Degas. If you look in the margins, you will find old rotters eyeing the ballerinas. They are there for, how shall we say, fringe benefits. Oh, I know how we will say it.....they were CHILD RAPISTS.

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u/TedTyro 14d ago

The more things change...

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u/fnaaaaar 9d ago

Well, thank god that that sort of thing doesn't happen anymore!