Our warped perception of TV

Maybe I‘m out of touch, but does it shock you that in a recent Trio TV poll, two-thirds of Americans said they support the idea of televising executions?  I understand why those opposed to the death penalty might say it‘s important to see out how gruesome it can actually be, but they‘re the minority--  far short of 67 percent. 

Last Monday, there was outrage about live coverage of a police shootout where the robbery suspect was killed, and yet the majority of Americans want to see executions televised.  In the same poll, only 43 percent thought that news cameras should be allowed to cover soldiers‘ caskets returning to the United States from Iraq. 

So rather than publicly honoring our fallen heroes, we would rather watch executions? 

In a Rover poll from 1997, which probably still applies, 60 percent said they think a television camera in a courtroom is a bad idea.  So we don‘t want to allow a television camera in to cover a public trial, but we want to watch an execution? 

Has reality TV so warped our sensibilities we really want to see televised executions?  Am I missing something? 

'Closing Argument' is a regular feature on 'The Abrams Report.' The Abrams Report airs weeknights, 6 p.m. ET on MSNBC.

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