I guess the way I look at it is that we don't have to have literally wanted someone dead for it to apply to us. I always thought that responsive reading was one of the most powerful parts of Maundy Thursday, because all of us feel hatred and loathing at times—I have a hard time not feeling it in the face of the Fred Phelpses of the world, for instance.
"nasty part of human nature where our lizard hindbrain pushes us to call for the blood of the people who wrong us"
I think you are very wrong in two things here. One, the call for blood of those who have done us no actual wrong is just a strong as the call for those who do us wrong. This is important as the crowd is calling for the blood of someone who, if we believe the Bible, has wronged no one. Two, in thinking that this part of human nature comes from so far back. Last I checked in with studies, they had found a sense of fairness in monkeys and apes, but not in lizards. The call for blood of those who wrong us would seem to stem from this very sense of fairness.
As someone who has been attacked by a mob for no wrong that I was ever told of, I have thought much about this. Sometimes it seems to be contempt for the weak or the different, which may indeed stem from pre-primate days. Countless tales have been written down about the different one in a group of animals being torn to bits. Other times, it is just a way for some to make sure they are not the focus of the mob. Others enjoy watching and causing suffering.
Often people cry out and attack because they feel defensive. This doesn't mean that anyone wronged them - but it does mean that somehow they got scared. Sometimes that's related to unmet needs, particularly unmet emotional needs. The victim is practically irrelevant and certainly blameless. The pain comes when someone feels defensive, feels they have been attacked, regardless of whether they actually have. They're defending against the fear in their heads. Recognizing that the victim has nothing to do with it lets us turn our attention back to unmet needs, and find out what might calm them down.
This also means stepping out of the drama for a moment to realize that maybe we aren't being attacked, when we find ourselves in a heated conversation. The escalation continues because both sides think they have to work harder to protect themselves. But the key to unlocking that pattern is to become aware, and recognize that the other side is scared and defensive and needs something.
It takes practice to recognize and break the escalation, and it can only be done in oneself first.