I think you are conflating two concepts 1. Justice - that which each of us is owed 2. Fortitude - the ability to carry out one’s will Those are two entirely

I think you are conflating two concepts 1. Justice - that which each of us is owed 2. Fortitude - the ability to carry out one’s will Those are two entirely separate things. And it is entirely possible to have one without the other. You may decide one cat deserves all the pets, but he / she may have different ideas and decide to run off and go bat at a fly. This you were the arbiter of justice, but had no power. Social justice movements are generally concerned with justice. The question of what is fair. Power generally rests in the hands of the state / mob / body politic. Laws mean nothing without some mechanism of enforcement. Now what the OP article is saying is that malevolent people will often try to abuse social norms to protect themselves from the consequences of their malevolent behaviors. My reply to OP is saying that this is a very human trait and not specific to any particular social movement or social norm. As evidence I give a couple of similar examples that happen in different socio-political contexts.