Christian Schneider

Opinion columnist

When you read the stories, the voltage of the actresses' names illuminates the screen. Gwyneth Paltrow. Angelina Jolie. Mira Sorvino. All share more in common than having won Academy Awards: They have all recently spoken about being sexually accosted by Hollywood career-maker Harvey Weinstein.

Hopefully the stories being told by these women and many others are an important start towards progress. But as eye-catching as these women's names are, the broader issue is about men — men who both commit and enable the ecosystems of horror inhabited by creatures like Weinstein.

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They are the menacing, sad men lounging around hotel rooms in bathrobes, waiting for obeisant staff to push young actresses through their doors as a zoo employee tosses meat into a lion's cage. They collect unearned conquests as currency; perhaps their whole motivation towards wealth would be to one day wield enough power to churn through scared young actresses afraid of losing their big break.

As youths, maybe they took inspiration in fictional film producer Jack Woltz from The Godfather movie, who brags about his conquests with innocent young women all over the world. But in the far less cinematic real world, they use their influence to abuse women, casting them off with broken dreams and emotional scars, knowing there are always more just pulling into town.

Then there are the men who enable such behavior, knowing what's happening and still saying nothing. They could be male employees of Weinstein's company afraid to blow the whistle for fear of losing their jobs, or notable actors who knew of Weinstein's actions but remained silent.

Dozens of women presumably could have helped by exposing Weinstein decades ago; but as long as the juicy roles and giant checks kept coming, many men likely felt it was necessary to protect Hollywood's most notorious predator. Of course, it is a victim's decision to tell her (or his) own story; but a conspiracy of silence only enables monsters to keep offending. Naturally, a flood of male actors will now come forward and condemn Weinstein; but they were all absent when they were needed the most.

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There are the men who try to purchase good will by writing checks to progressive women's causes; they're always ready with a hefty check for Planned Parenthood, or willing to accuse the bumpkins in flyover country of waging a "war on women." They're simply a wealthier version of the college guy who tells girls in bars that he volunteers for the Sierra Club during the summers, hoping to score a deeply emotional one-night relationship. Only turning the rich guy down can come with career-ending consequences.

The Weinstein story is also about the men in law enforcement who knew of Weinstein's assaults and sat idly by. Men like Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., who held in his hands a recording of Weinstein admitting to past sexual assaults, and yet chose to do nothing. The crime Weinstein could have been charged with — misdemeanor third-degree sexual abuse — only carried a maximum of three months in jail, and thus probably didn't seem worth the trouble. But it likely would have shone a light on Weinstein's alleged crimes well before today.

No one seriously believes that Weinstein is the only powerful man in America who uses his influence to harass and even assault women. In the words of a man who was elected president of the United States less than a year ago, "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything."

That's why the consequences of what powerful men do to women (and men) reverberate throughout society. Gargoyles like Weinstein are why women have to have their heads on swivels, not always sure of the situation they may be in. It's why they can't be sure if a one-on-one meeting with a male colleague is just for business, or whether a first date is with a nice guy or someone who might try to attack them later that night.

Men like Weinstein and his enablers harm women, but their actions also sully other men and complicate the relationships they have with women. We all need to listen to the stories women are telling now; but we should also pay equal attention to the deafening silence from men all along.

Christian Schneider is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter @Schneider_CM