How Ryan Adams and Southern Baptists abused the halo effect

Published February 20, 2019 6:50pm ET



In light of the sexual harassment news just from the past week, you’d be excused for wondering if taking down Harvey Weinstein and his counterparts had done any good at all. Now, hundreds of Southern Baptist leaders have been accused of sexual abuse, and Mandy Moore’s ex-husband Ryan Adams has been revealed to be a narcissistic, libidinous creep.

But the trajectory of exposes on sexual harassment and assault reveals an important side of abuse that’s not often discussed. If the biggest charge against the #MeToo movement is that it has crippled itself by conflating serious crimes with unfounded allegations, its next great flaw is overemphasizing abusers and neglecting the friends, colleagues, and admirers that make their guilt possible.

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