TL;DR: Since reproduction is about our genes, and not the wellbeing of individuals, there are two distinct strategies for sexual reproduction in society that are hardwired into us. They are called r selection and K selection. Some people tend towards r selection (having more offspring, investing less in them), while others tend towards K selection (which means having fewer offspring, investing more in offspring). In times of limited resources K selection thrives (less offspring, better prepared). K selection basically means less, but stronger individuals, while r selection means more, but weaker individuals.

K selected individuals also are more likely to follow a codex of rules and submit to a hierarchy. As a former r individual this behavior seems pretty dumb to r individuals, since r individuals tend to do whatever they can get away with. K individuals need to understand that r individuals actually have a point there, if they ever want to stand a chance in this fight. Morals and scruples are fine, but they can only extend to other K individuals, never to r individuals, since they do not extend those courtesies towards you.

Body: First you should watch this video. I have summarized what he said in the TL;DR, but you should still watch the video. It's 40 mins, but it's well worth the time.

One thing that struck me while watching this video, and this is also the reason why I'm writing this comment, is that while he is spot on with his analysis, there's a certain weakness in his conclusions that you can only appreciate when you come from the left. Let me explain.

A K selected society (which is based on a moral codex and restrict the individual's social freedom for the betterment of society at large) is inherently better than an r selected society (which has an "anything goes" attitude and thus in the end is worse for everybody, see "The tragedy of the commons" problem in economics). This is great. But: both strategies are equally functional for society, or one would otherwise have been obviously bred out in the billions of years life exists on this planet.

Yes, it would be better for the individual to live in a K selected society, and yes, K selection is in my opinion the more worthy goal to aspire to. But K people need to get over this fact and start accepting that r is a valid strategy. It's another tough pill to swallow, but it needs to be done. Reality doesn't care about morals.

What do I mean by this? As long as K people are playing by the book and having a strong sense of honor and duty, they will lose against r people. Having a moral code is stupid, unless you are dealing with other K people. R people don't care, they laugh at your old-fashioned values, and they have every right to do so. While you still try to figure out what the honorable thing to do is, the r people have stolen your wallet, because they don't care. Their strength is numbers and disposability, not being a good person. Unless you, as a K individual, learn to understand when to utilize your in-built r program, you have an Achilles heel that is easy to exploit for them.

Lessons learned: It's important to learn to differentiate between people who follow r and K selection strategies in life. Morals (K type thinking) are fine, as long as you deal with K type individuals. As soon as you deal with r type individuals you need to understand that the only rules are the rules of nature, and you can win this fight easily, since you're the stronger individual anyway. Your only weakness is your tendency to play by the book, when r types don't. It is no shame to be immoral towards an immoral individual, it is only a shame to be immoral towards a moral individual.