“….every shmuez on hakaras hatov i heard taught me to thank people for the good they do for us even if they did for themselves and even if they are a horrible person…”
Very interesting shitah on “hakaras hatov” that suffers from one potentially fatal (literally) flaw. That horrible person who does something good for yidden one day because his serves his own agenda is not operating on the basis of any principles or civil/social norms and just as easily turn against us in an instant when it serves his interests. Yidden have seen this movie before at various points in history when some of the worst despots and tyrants in history who initially tolerated their Jewish citizens have adopted the most anti-semitic positions with tragic consequences.