When “believe all women” is the party line, it’s only prudent for men to take themselves out of situations where they risk being accused of anything. #MeToo began with a serious mission of exposing powerful men who had sexually harassed, and in some cases assaulted, women and gotten away with it.

But thanks to “believe all women,” it spiraled to a place where accusations went unchecked and were instantly believed. Some Web sites maintain running lists of accused men, even if accusations are anonymous and/or largely uncorroborated.

In some cases, the accusation didn’t even make any sense. The comedian Aziz Ansari is clawing his way out of a reputational black hole after a woman accused him of being a bad date. He didn’t harass or assault anyone; he was simply bad at hooking up, and his date wrote a scathing piece about it.

Men have seen that they are guilty until proved innocent, and sometimes not even then. They have now — wisely retreated — from women.