Social activism is a double-edged sword.

On one hand, movements spark revolutions. We have the potential to move heaven and earth with our words and our passion and our solidarity. We can shine a light in the dark places and make a statement. We’re able to stand up for what’s right – we can give a voice to the voiceless.

But on the other hand, we also run the risk of losing our grip. Passion breads power, but sometimes we lose control over the impact. We begin to leave room for the truth to blur. We create a fine line between making a difference and making a mess. We lose sight of what we were fighting for in the first place.

In the process of having our voices heard, we forget to listen to what the voices are saying. Social activism becomes dangerous when we can no longer distinguish the cause, and the truth, amongst the chaos.

Earlier this month, in the height of the #metoo movement, Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual assault. Like many before him, his name flooded the tabloids. He was criticized on social media. His image was dragged through the mud, torn to shreds by empowered men and women who believed they were doing the right thing. After all, so many household names had already turned out to be such monsters--how was he any different?

In a sea of accusations, his was lost before anyone cared to look into its validity. It was easy, too easy, to group him with the rest. It was easy to assume that he was guilty before he could be proven innocent.

The important take-away from this case is that Aziz Ansari is not a rapist, he is merely a victim of an awkward encounter turned disaster at the hands of extremism. He is a prime example of what happens when there’s no checks and balances within reports, because had anyone taken the time to genuinely read the story, it would have been clear that there was a gross amount of misrepresentation. So caught up in the need to catch another monster, we forgot the first rule of the internet: credibility is key.

I’m aware that Ansari was a rare case. Unfortunately, most of the accusations happening in Hollywood are irrefutable. Even the Ansari case is riddled with grey area. Every day strong survivors speak up and speak out against their abuser, and every day I watch as the world rallies together in support. It’s beautiful and inspiring. As a woman, it empowers me and fills me with pride.

But it’s the cases like Ansari’s, few as they may be, that will blow a hole in the true mission of this movement and eventually work against us.

I believe that sexual assault accusations are to be taken seriously. They deserve justice and exposure and a platform. I believe that the time for men to get away with abusing women is up. I believe that Hollywood's monsters deserve to be burned at the stake, and I'm more than happy to hold a torch.

But I also believe that if we’re not careful, if we continue to follow people blindly, we run the very real risk of invalidating the very movement that validates us. We risk fuelling a fire that is already raging against us because we jump the gun. Because we refuse to acknowledge the situations where men aren't the ugly, monsters we expect them to be.