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khansian t1_j3877de wrote

To the contrary, we should wonder why so many societies felt it necessary to torture people in such terrible ways.

We look back on this now from our relatively peaceful, safe, and wealthy lives. But these things happened at a time when something as simple as a band of thieves operating on a highway could mean death for those who get robbed, starvation of those victims’ families, and a mini-recession for the towns whose main trade route was disrupted.

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