The Horrible Abuse Allegations Against Diddy Reveal the Legacy—and Limits—of #MeToo

Seven years after the #MeToo movement swept the United States and then much of the globe, some of the movement’s biggest villains—Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby—have seen their criminal convictions overturned. The #MeToo movement never promised to solve the problems of sexual violence and harassment, nor the problem of powerful men getting away with everything from sexist exploitation to serious crimes against women. The conviction standard of “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” is necessarily high, but it’s also difficult to meet when there is not significant physical evidence, and in sexual assault and domestic abuse cases, physical evidence is often limited. Good old-fashioned sexism can also play a big role, as jurors may give accused abusers the benefit of the doubt, buy into misogynist myths about rape and abuse, or hold women claiming abuse to a higher standard than they would if, say, a man were testifying about a violent assault. A plaintiff does not have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was assaulted, and while a defendant won’t go to prison for his bad acts, he may have to pay up handsomely or see a reputational hit as the evidence against him comes out—all of which is no small matter, even for men who are wealthy and powerful.