I can't speak for other countries, but for the US, none of these are aberrations. They're the way we've always done things, and no one with access to the levers

I can't speak for other countries, but for the US, none of these are aberrations. They're the way we've always done things, and no one with access to the levers of power is really all that interested in changing things. A lot of these stories just boil down to people with power being able to use people without in any way they please: use them as unpaid labor, or just dump them in an unmarked grave if they're no use to you. We call that "freedom", because for the people with the power, it is. And to have an impact on the public discourse, you basically have to accept that as the way things should be, plus or minus a little tinkering around the edges.