In response to the various replies (and due to the fact that my sense of humour is obviously defective), I will leave it at this (okay, I’ll desperately try to leave it at this.)
The reason I do not (okay, try not to) indulge in certain actions is not that the victim do not deserve harm… It is that I do damage to myself in performing such actions.
I’m not an opponent of the death penalty because there is no-one who I believe deserves it. I am certain that such cases exist. I am opponent of the death penalty is because it harms me (and society as a whole) to execute human beings.
The sentiment is the same, but writ small here.
Besides, I like to think that “the problem with them is that they’re boorish name-callers”, rather than “actually, it’s fine to be a boorish name-callers. The problem with them is they’re boorish name-callers to the wrong people.”
