I believe that all those problems have structural, systemic causes, and that addressing those systemic causes should be our priority. When people use systems of power to abuse minority groups, children, the vulnerable, the problem has many roots, of course. Including the very system that gave someone that amount of power and encouraged them to use it, as well as prevailing cultural attitudes about minority groups, children, and those who are otherwise vulnerable.

We live in a world that creates bigots very readily. And we have many systems that do not prioritize the wellbeing of everyone in them. And we live in an economic system that encourages, even requires, selfish action. It is no surprise that the logical consequence of those structural factors would be tons of small evils. This doesn’t mean I excuse the small evils, or think they’re okay; there are people who have done small-scale evil that I don’t have it in my imperfect heart to feel much compassion for, and there are some I do mourn the lost humanity of. But either way, I believe that the solution to these problems is to prevent them and de-incentivze them in a systematic way.