system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why was tarring and feathering such a popular punishment back in the day?
gpt
Besides making a chicken-man?

It was done because it was painful and humiliating. The tar really stinks - and sticks. 

It would take many days for the tar to clean off. Trying to remove it by force was not really an option, unless skin is optional. 

TL;DR: Essentially it was a punishment intended to humiliate and try to coerce societal conformity through shaming.