The most horrible thing in the recent poll results

[markodochartaigh]

3. If you are White and wealthy you can visit

churches, work with business associates, go to parties, play golf, etc. with Republicans and never realize what they are capable of. It's like neighbors of murderers or parents of school shooters who, after the killing, say that they had no idea. "He was always such a nice person."
If you want to know who is a "decent" person, don't ask their preacher, or their boss, or their family or friends. Ask the homeless person, the dirty and mentally ill person, the abused person.

It hasn't been that long since public hangings drew large crowds who enjoyed the spectacle. These church going people didn't think that they were bad for enjoying the killing. On the contrary, they thought that they were a part of a righteous and blessed group who deserved to be enjoying the picnic while the nondeserving, disgusting person swayed in the air on his way to hell.

And did they really care if the accused was guilty? Well, surveys today say that 70% of Americans support the death penalty even if some innocent people are put to death. Was it different then?

But I think that most people, "decent" or not, don't really want to know, maybe actually can't handle, just what percentage of society is actually brutal.