ocent until proven guilty will be completely upended. I fear for those of you who one day will have a loved one's career or life ended because of am unsubstantiated accusation. The Duke Lacrosse case and UVA article paved the way for where we are, and it's only going to get worse. The retractions are rarely as visible as the original content.
Companies and communities increasingly would rather just eliminate the problem than examine facts. A disgruntled employee or student with a sexist accusation leads to immediate termination; it's easier to hire or promote someone new than be dragged into the social media atmosphere. I'm already seeing male leaders unwilling to spend one-on-one time with female colleagues. The reverse also will happen. It's only a matter of time before a male or female accuses a female leader of sexual harassment. People talk about sterile and depressing work environments. Unsubstantiated allegations and "hostile workplace" lawsuits helped create those.
This will trickle down to college and then high school, where boys will be reluctant to socialize in any aspect for fear of retaliation. It will be a generational thing, but it will happen. Mothers and fathers, even now, are having this sort of talk with their kids. Teenage boys, especially, have little defense to sexual allegations. Why even risk it? Sad days are ahead.