"I think their apathy is a mask for a humanistic/diplomatic or sheer cognitive puzzle too hard for them to crack or too frustrating to ponder."

It's the asshole version of lateral thinking: the best solution to the problem (they maintain) is the one that is utterly unthinkable & will outrage anyone who actually cares about the issue. It's a way of posing as not only cynical but also coldly clear-sighted, a slaughterer of sacred cows, etc.