These individuals are distractions, nothing more. Shkreli literally launched a sortie against the plebes by means of his obscene price gouging (which isn't even what put him in jail-- if not for his crimes against the elite, he'd be a free man!), and prolific sex offenders like Weinstein simply cannot be defended-- like Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby, he's just beyond redemption.
Meanwhile:
* All the internet attention in the world (or the Wall Street protests) didn't result in anyone responsible for the 2008 economic meltdowns seeing the inside of a courtroom for anything more than a deposition.
* The Wells Fargo C-level who encouraged half the company to commit fraud walked away with a severance package.
* The Equifax CEO walked away with a severance package after the largest consumer data breach in US history.
* Mitt Romney made a personal fortune bankrupting companies and decimating the retirement plans of their associated employees. Then he ran for president.
* Snowden released a bunch of documents confirming what a lot of us already believed, which caused some commotion and pit half the country against itself in a philosophical war over whether his actions were heroic or traitorous. Meanwhile while that pointless debate raged, life at the NSA continued under new project names and tighter controls.
Of all of the damage these individuals caused, only Snowden, a commoner, has a warrant out for his arrest. Of all of these, only Snowden's actions had no impact on the average American. We squabble on Facebook about his pointless actions while we're actively being fleeced by the other four guys.
Plenty of attention has been drawn to these matters. But nothing changes. Internet outrage is cheap and divisive.
