The continuous stream of men accused of sexual misconduct has taken many people by surprise. Even those who are not surprised that sexual abuse is so common have often by surprised by the specific individuals who are facing accusations. He could not have acted that way. He is a good man. Lena Dunham, anointed by the media as the voice of her generation fell into this trap. A friend was facing an accusation of rape. She wasn’t there, but she knew he didn’t do it. She knew that he was a good man.

Let me tell you something: there are no good men. Don’t get me wrong. Despite dubious arguments about evolutionary psychology, rape and sexual assault are not intrinsic elements of maleness. There are absolutely men who are not sexually abusive. Moreover, there are men who never would be sexually abusive. But goodness never stopped kept someone from committing sexual harassment or sexual assault.

Despite the recent popularity of dark anti-heroes and troubled imperfect heroes, as a culture, we still think of goodness as something innate. A good person does good things. A person who does good things is good. Superman. Luke Skywalker. Captain America. In cartoons and comic book movies it’s very simple. In the real world, people are not so consistent. A person who does good things, may also do bad things, sometimes very bad things. Senator Franken has helped people. He has opposed bigotry and discrimination. According to multiple sources, he is guilty of sexual assault. Bill Cosby was an inspiration for generations of people. He has been a tireless advocate for education and supported it with his money. He changed how black families can be perceived in the United States. He drugged and raped multiple women across decades.

Goodness is not a merit badge that, once earned, indemnifies someone from bad actions. Beneficial acts do not cancel out bad ones, and potential good actions do not justify ignoring the harm done by bad actions. Goodness is aspirational. It is something that must be earned continually.  Whether you blame the patriarchy, human nature, or Original Sin, all men take bad actions. And when those bad acts include transgressions like sexual harassment or assault, there must be consequences. Those responsible cannot be trusted with positions of power, whether as a high school band director or a United States senator.