The children will have to enter that society at some point. Would it be better to wait until they leave for college and let them experience all of that at the same time, for the first time?

I have yet to have a post-public-school (college, work, sales, relationships, you-name-it) experience that even comes close to the barbarity of my in-public-school experience. I've seen things on TV in that vicinity, but not in real life -- knock on wood!

Of course, in my public school we had dudes who were fully-pubed driving their cars to the 6th grade, so kind of an extreme example.

Yes. They'll be better equipped to rationally comprehend, question, and appreciate the world at that age. It's the same as any adult would better appreciate and understand travelling and experiencing other cultures more than a child.