Why did the public turn against Patty Hearst?

1. 79

   Say Yes To Lifeposted 12 years ago

   Why did the public turn against Patty Hearst?
   
   I remember when Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the SAL on 2/3/74.  One by one, they released tapes of her messages to her parents.  At first, she were reassuring, then she gradually turned against them, calling them "Hearst Pigs".  The public was at first supportive, then believed she had really joined the SLA, and some even thought she had faked her own kidnapping!  That makes no sense to me; obviously she made all those tapes at gunpoint, and why would she fake her own kidnapping?  If she wanted to join the SLA, she would have just done so.  What do you guys think?

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2. 60

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   I think she was brainwashed, afraid for her life and had little choice but to "join."  People turned against her because notice how our country treats wealthy people, like Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs--we tend to demonize them, find fault and take pleasure when they fall.
   
   Coming from a wealthy family, it was much the same. People likely would have been much more compassionate if she had been a "regular joe" from a blue collar family.

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   1. 79

      Say Yes To Lifeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      True, but if she'd been a "regular Joe" she wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place.

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   2. 60

      duffsmomposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe not in the case of the SLA, but regular "Joes" are kidnapped daily, unfortunately--usually without happy endings.

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3. 0

   Larry Wallposted 12 years ago

   People do not trust things they do not understand. Many do not understand the Stockholm Syndrome or PTSD. If the person is famous, they believe they are just trying to get attention. It is an unfortunate attitude, but the conditions have been proved to be real. It is often a matter of survival. GIve in to the pressure or trauma or die.

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   1. 79

      Say Yes To Lifeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent point about not understanding the Stockholm Syndrome or PTSD!    I think it''s also a reflection on society; places with low morals and high crime are more likely to blame the victim.  She was kidnapped in Berkeley, near North Oakland.

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