Comparing the outrage of ordinary women and men against Weinstein and his ilk to that of the 1950s McCarthy era is more than a tad hyperbolic. What is missing from this current comparison is the issue of “state power,” which was at play in the 1950s — and why the FBI office opened a file on Arendt.

No one is making any such call today. There is NO state power involved in this situation. For example, there is no special House “sexual creep committee,” which is hauling unwilling witnesses to give testimony to very hostile senators, who toss said witnesses in jail for contempt if they refuse to answer in ways said senators would prefer.

If one is going to invoke Arendt, one needs to follow her caution to see the world as it actually is — and not reach for a facile and inappropriate comparisons.