The relatively low overall rating of 6.0 indicates to me that some viewers lack compassion even after watching this documentary, which is surprisingly more about forgiveness and love than the actual crimes of the man on death row. People rush to judgment about Mark Stroman about as quickly as his hatred for Muslims coalesced after 9/11.
This was a man who was condemned at birth by his parents and subsequently the state. His sister reported that he was singled out for maltreatment by his stepfather and their mother did nothing to protect her son. He became deeply traumatized by his early teens, running away from home 13 times. Even the child psychologist wrote that he saw the world as an inherently unstable and dangerous place. Simply put, he suffered from PTSD, and his brain was wired to detect and fight dangers.
Even though Mark did not admit it when Ilan questioned him, his hatred towards Muslims was truly displaced hatred towards his stepfather. When 9/11 happened, an alarm was triggered in his amygdala. The vulnerability he felt at the hands of his stepfather was reactivated when he witnessed the awful scenes of 9/11. Years of pent-up rage towards the stepfather became displaced onto innocent targets and released in the guise of patriotism.
This is the story of many disadvantaged children who suffered abuse in childhood, develop conduct disorders, get placed into foster care or juvenile centers, grow up into dysfunctional adults who then run afoul of the law and possibly find themselves in prison. Running parallel is the story of children who grew up in safe environments and turn into successful adults. One such child was Greg Davies who became the district attorney whose source of pride is the number of death sentences he procures. What kind of person puts up on his wall pictures of people he has placed on death row as they await death? Certainly not one of compassion.
