Something is seriously wrong here. Our culture is deeply confused about the meaning of human sexuality—telling us, on the one hand, that between consenting adults “ anything goes,” and, on the other hand, fulminating with outrage whenever there is an allegation of abusive sexual behavior by someone who happens to be on the other side of our preferred place in the cultural divide. 

Of course we should be outraged when someone (anyone) forces himself on someone else, especially a child, youth or subordinate. But current expressions of indignation are laced with political overtones on both the left and the right. How is it that we are suddenly aware that behavior that was tolerated 20 years ago has become intolerable? What has changed? 

To make matters worse, reporting of allegations against powerful men in politics, business, the arts, religion and the entertainment industry has become more and more graphic. Why do we think it’s OK to report (and discuss) in detail allegations which have not yet been proven? What about the possibility of false allegations—as was the case in the 1990s when Cardinal Joseph Bernadin was accused of abusing a young man who later confessed that it never happened? I don’t recall the specifics, but I’m quite sure that—thanks be to God—the media in those days did not report the graphic details of what the young man accused the Cardinal of doing to him when he was a seminarian in the 1970s. 

Not so today. Now we are given the vivid details of what the latest public figure is accused of doing, and our understandable outrage is so great that we forget two things: 1) For very important reasons related to our freedom and basic human rights, under the law this alleged abuser is innocent until proven guilty, and 2) there really are some things that are not “fit to print” even if they turn out to be true. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am for zero tolerance of abusive sexual behavior whenever and wherever it occurs. No one has the right to impose himself or herself on an unwilling person, especially children and those who are most vulnerable. I accept (and approve of) policies that remove alleged abusers from situations where they could harm others whenever there is reason to believe that the accusations against them are credible. 

But some measure of humanity must be maintained if the accused are to be given an opportunity to disprove the charges against them. How is this possible if newspapers and other media spread salacious x-rated stories about them—especially if they do not possess the resources required to set the record straight in the court of public opinion?

If the allegations are true, the victims of these sad, sick men should not have to relive their humiliation. If the allegations are false, no one should be exposed to the scandalous, pornographic lies told against them. 

Something is seriously wrong here. As a society we need to do much better.