"They mean well..." What it Really means...

They mean well is a phrase used frequently about the astroturf-activists who support "good" (i.e. leftist) causes such as antiracism, climate, antiwar etc - but "go too far" by committing acts of sabotage, menace, destruction, violence etc.

The term is also applied to the the totalitarian-manipulated intractably-stupid masses, who get their facts and opinions from officialdom and the mass media... 

"They mean well..." 

So far as I can discern, "they mean well" actually means":

1. "I want to feel good about myself". 

Plus

2. "What makes me feel good about myself, is approval from those who get their facts and opinions from officialdom and the mass media."

This is understandable - as most types of sin are understandable (e.g. dishonesty, resentment, greed, lust, laziness) - being based in instinct...

But I don't think that really means that such people "mean well" - even when they constitute a large majority of the Western population.