To me it's more about self improvement. You're using magic whether you think you are or not. It's your will.
When you're a kid, you do what all the other kids do. It's peer pressure. I'm sure many of the "elite" in these scandals all started from pressure from the other elite.
Maybe their rituals are working. Maybe not. You'll notice that many of the people that don't fall for trust the "elite" or political parties in general are critical thinkers. Maybe that's from simply seeing through lies because of that same critical thinking. Maybe their will is stronger if magic was involved. You can look at it in many different ways.
But in the end, you have to be the best you possible to do well in this world. Whatever your definition of best is that's it. For some people, best is being the richest most powerful ass hole on the planet. For some, best is being a balanced and peaceful person. But notice that the people on top aren't just half assing. Whatever they've chosen to be, they're all in.
Meditation (in most practices essential) is one way to focus on what you want to be. Focus, determination, a route to a goal... all of these are found in magical practice. So it isn't surprising to hear of these scandals hitting the media.
You've got to decide what works for you. I know plenty of people that follow a path and they are seeing life changing results. But I know a lot of armchair occultists that don't see any results, too. You've got to pair your practice with actual work in the physical world around you.
Sorry for the rambling. Maybe that helped?