What I was talking about wasn't so much the vicarious thrill of misfortune in the news (as in the Don Henley and Tool songs) but the active wish for certain people to be tortured, as long as they "deserve it." In other words, I was questioning the idea that healthy people want to see tortures inflicted on people, even if those people are criminals themselves.
It's like the mentality that used to go to the Roman Coliseum or public executions--"they're bad people, but I'm still a good person, even if a part of me is enjoying seeing the same kind of violence they committed." This is why civilized countries get rid of torture and executions, to affirm that the actions themselves are immoral, and do not magically become moral just because the state instead of the criminal performs the actions.
The real problem is the lust for the suffering of others. Maybe that's a part of human nature and can't be gotten rid of, but finding reasons, categories, to justify it in reality..."it's OK for me to enjoy THAT person suffering,"...that seems questionable to me.
Now, take Mizuhara-san. She has a slight lust for the suffering of others, when it comes to spicy croquettes. On the other hand, according to this dojinshi here, she gives generously of her auxillary inputs to the boys in class. I can say without hesitation that she's a very good person.