Why Weinstein’s Conviction Isn’t the Watershed Moment People Want

I know a lot of people are high-fiving themselves over Weinstein’s conviction for the two sex charges that actually stuck. Already, I have been reading one story after another about how this validates the #metoo movement, and that it is going to change things in Hollywood forever.

Unfortunately, that’s not really the case. It will change things for Weinstein, and it will change things for those who participated in the trial, but the reality is that it won’t really change much.

Why not?

Well, let’s examine why the situation happened in the first place. Some time ago, creative men realized that if they wanted to have sex with very attractive women they could never date in a million years, they could entice them by giving them something they want: a glamorous job.

It’s no secret that a lot of women sold their souls to become Hollywood starlets. It’s no secret that quite a few more will gladly do so in the future.

Now, having said that, the immediate reaction is “not every woman wants to do that” but the allure of the fame and the possibility of the future wealth and power is enough to create an atmosphere that makes people think that any woman who is trapped in a hotel room with a movie producer pretty much brought it on herself. We know she didn’t. And we know the rapist is obviously scum of the Earth, but when 12 jurors are required to decide beyond a shadow of a doubt, it’s so easy to create that…