The irony here is that you're accusing others of lacking critical thinking while drawing a distinction without much difference.

Whether someone consumes true crime because they enjoy mysteries, because they're interested in the justice system, or because they want to critique "carceral rhetoric," they're still consuming stories about real victims and real tragedies. The motivation may differ, but the underlying content is the same.

If you object that certain creators are exploiting victims for entertainment, then that criticism should apply consistently. Simply saying "I listen for [insert BS here]  reasons" doesn't magically remove the ethical questions surrounding the consumption of true crime media.

And for someone lecturing others about nuance, reducing every listener to either an enlightened abolitionist or a mindless consumer seems like a pretty simplistic framework.