I wouldn't say *afraid*.
Men should not have to live in fear of being accused of any inappropriate behavior.
However, men would be crazy to not be very cautious.
And I can't say as I'd blame them one bit.
Did he touch you?
No.
Did he make unwanted advances?
No.
Did he say anything that was inappropriate?
No.
What is the problem, then?
He made me feel uncomfortable.
Good enough for us! He’s gone. And will have a Black mark that will follow him forever and make him unable to ever find a job.
Mentoring isnt exactly like teaching...you are taking time to help show someone the ropes, how to navigate the contours of the company, of business. Common sense tells you to NOT drink a Long Island Iced Tea at a corporate event....a mentor will tell you about a half-dozen people who've lost their careers doing so AND the current roster of reprobates who do that.
Let's face it: There are truly reprehensible people in business, education, etc coming from ALL walks of life. They prey on subordinates. In turn, many younger adults have had all sorts of garbage thrown at them in college. The Millenials that are not pod-eating snowflakes and HAVE a job, don't want to live in Mom's basement. Mentorships are one way of avoiding the minefields.
If the statist, haters of free-thought are successful, then men and women of good Deplorable stock will avoid mentorships. That will leave Millenials to be mentored by MSNBC, John Oliver, and Huffpo, or the resident Antifa-loving corporate tool who is adroit at mind-infection without getting caught.
Self-preservation, of course, is of the utmost importance. Nobody should put themself in a situation where they lose their job over a mentorship gig. But most of the time, you can pick your mentor and mentors can pick the person they'll mentor...if done right, mentorships are symbiotic: young people become upstanding citizens (and maybe even Deplorables...) and us old dogs learn a LOT about what is REALLY going on in the firm.