They love mocking them. But they need them too. They want their politicians and leaders to make them feel secure. So when they vote, they vote for the candidate who creates the right mood. The candidates know this, so they campaign accordingly.
Campaigns thus are more or less like beauty contests.
Which brings us to compassion. If government were exclusively about protecting individual rights and securing justice, no one would talk about compassion. I think not. But government is not a rights-protecting institution. People don't normally like being looted, so the candidates and politicians have to do something to keep the victims from complaining.