I agree with your take on whales... they aren't any more evil than the system facilitates them to be.

I am a career plankton-nobody on Steem, and on behalf of my fellow countless hordes of plankton nobodies... I can tell you @skramatters, that those of us tiny crustaceans with eye stalks poking out of our chitinous little shells to see have noted for a long time that "bad actors" as you call them, are very well rewarded for their toxic engagements, bot army abuse, flag-bullying, etc... Steemit is the perfect habitat for de-clawing the wisdom of the "free market" when whale monopolies are literally built into the system and may crush even the largest concerted efforts from all except other whales.

That said, Steem and Steemit is still all a good idea... and the evil is bearable (until a better and "less evil" alternative emerges).