Patricia Hearst And The Symboinese Liberation Army

1316 words - 6 pages

Social status can affect a person greatly, even in criminal cases. An event pertaining an impact of social status is the case of Patricia Hearst and the Symboinese Liberation Army. Patricia Hearst (Patty) is an American socialite and best know to be the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, who founded the Hearst media empire. While attending the University of Berkeley, in California, she was abducted by a terrorist group called the Symboinese Liberation Army (SLA) on February 24th, 1974. The group first attempted to claim a large sum of ransom from the Hearst family. The Marxist group of terrorists was formed at the University of Berkeley and believed in the union of all the races ...view middle of the document...

During her trail for the robbery, Hearst stated that she was forced by the leader of the group to create these audiotapes and participate in the crimes. A month after the bank robbery, in May of 1974, two members of the group, Emily and William Harris, robbed a sporting goods store with Hearst as the get-away-car driver. As a result, numerous Americans believed that she had officially left her old life behind and joined her kidnappers. Two months after her own kidnapping, Patty Hearst denounced her family and old lifestyle and announced that she had joined the SLA and started participating in crimes with them.
When Patty was caught by the FBI and tried, she pleaded that she was not guilty and that she had suffered from brainwashing and Stolkholm syndrome during her time being captive. Hearst was nowhere to be found and traveled around the country with two other members of the group in order to avoid being captured. “The FBI had launched one of the most massive, agent-intensive searches in its history to find Hearst and stop the SLA.” After Hearst was caught, she was tried for her participation in the bank robbery, and said that it was brainwashing that caused her to cooperate with the SLA. Brainwashing originated from the Chinese, it is directly translated from the Chinese phrase “xi nao” which means to purify ones thoughts. Although the idea of brainwashing became more known in the western world, many Americans overlooked the idea of brainwashing because such events were not happening in America and were categorized as foreign propaganda. Many believed that they were too evolved and smart to ever be “brainwashed.” Patricia used this term as a justification for her involvement with the SLA. Many psychologists also claimed that Hearst suffered from Stockholm syndrome. Stockholm syndrome first originated from a bank hold up in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973, two robbers held 3 women and 1 man hostage for 6 days and convinced them that the police outside of the bank were planning on killing them. One of the women later even married one of the robbers. Stockholm syndrome was considered a “complex psychological problem” and a “survival mechanism” where a victim bonds with their kidnapper or captor in order to stay alive. The syndrome became widely known in accordance with Hearst’s case, she claimed that the group convinced her that “her parents did not love her.”
Patty Hearst was tried very publically and declared that she was not guilty, yet the jury did not believe her. The case of Hearst it was the most public and media involved court case that the United States had seen up to this point in time. Hearst claimed that her actions with the SLA were a result of intimidation, fear, and brainwashing; she stated that she had been kept in a small closet, blindfolded for two months, and was...

The Army and the Air Force

1507 words - 6 pages The Army and the Air Force have many similarities and differences, some of the similarities are the troop’s dedication, diversity, and patriotism, and some of the differences are the way each branch trains, their respective customs, and quality life. As a Soldier in the Army, with many friends in the Air Force, it is easy for me to see the many similarities and differences between the two military branches. Both the Army and Air Force have

Oscar Romero, Liberation Theology and the Catholic Church

3985 words - 16 pages . Within months, numerous pastoral agents and priest Alfonso Navarro were brutally assassinated by “death squads” closely associated with the national army. The government had always oppressed the lower class, and the church had always been a passive spectator of the exploitation. However, as the concept of Liberation Theology became increasingly popular among the bishops of El Salvador, the government began to feel threatened by the Catholic

Feminism and Emotional Liberation in Kate Chopin's The Awakening

2677 words - 11 pages Feminism and Emotional Liberation in The Awakening In our time, the idea of feminism is often portrayed as a modern one, dating back no further than the famous bra-burnings of the 1960s. Perhaps this is due to some unconscious tendency to assume that one's own time is the most enlightened in history. But this tendency is unfortunate, because it does not allow readers to see the precursors of modern ideas in older works. A

General George Washington and The Continental Army

997 words - 4 pages The American Revolution was a great time of change for America as a nation. With this change new heroes and ideals of life, liberty, and freedom were formed. Spearheading these new ideals was General George Washington and his continental army, but the road ahead of Washington and his men was not an unproblematic one. The winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania proved this to Washington and his men. Yet the true American ideal of life, liberty, and

William Booth and the Salvation Army

1785 words - 7 pages his partner in creating a faith, Catherine Mumford, who was also a very religious individual. He would also meet George S. Railton, who believed that God was more important than any worldly possessions. Railton would later become Booth's first lieutenant and a huge factor in the way the Salvation Army was run during the first years. --- William Booth believed that every person deserved to know Jesus regardless of their social class and that he

Management and Leadership Paper: The Army

1785 words - 7 pages listening and learning from every employee throughout their organization. So you see, a manager can be selfish sometimes and think about an escape for himself and himself only, while a leader thinks and speak for everyone and he makes sure that everyone escapes first and then he escape.In the Army we differentiate managers and leaders very easily. Managers are selfish while leaders can be managers but they at not selfish at all. Lets talk about

United States Army Military Solider and the Department of the Army Civilian Employee Development Comparison

1260 words - 5 pages AbstractThe harmonizing relationship and shared respect between the military and civilian members of the Army is a long standing tradition. Since the Army's beginning in 1775, the United States military and Department of the Army (DA) Civilian duties were separate, but are necessarily related because of the Army's mission. The Army work environment involves a close working relationship with civilian personnel, because they possess or develop

The Quick Liberation of the Wives in "The Storm" and "The Story of an Hour"

1490 words - 6 pages couch she lay upon." Therefore, when Alcee and Calixta were with one another during the storm, it triggered a needed and crucial sigh of relief for both of them. In addition, this brought about for her feelings of being reborn again causing her to appreciate everything once again. We see this liberation and rebirth within Calixta when Kate Chopin states, "And the first free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her

Battle Of Stalingrad And The Subjucation Of The Sixth Army

2189 words - 9 pages In the early hours of June 22, 1941 the German army poured across the borders of the Soviet Union. This would initiate four years of horrific warfare. The Wehrmacht had assembled the largest invasion force ever seen in military history, 3050 tanks, 7000 field guns and over 2000 aircraft. Many trucks and logistical vehicles had also been taken from France. 3 million German troops along with other pro axis armies such as Hungary and Romania

The Relationship Between the Communist/Socialist Movements and the Liberation Movements

1254 words - 5 pages Communist/socialist movements played a vital role in the development of liberation movements. Throughout most of Asia and Africa the communist/socialist sphere of influence grew to amass approximately a third of the worlds population. Engulfing many nations on the cusp of their independence. The relationship between the communist/socialist movements and liberation movements was based on an acting factor that enabled the movement to succeed

Downsizing and Job Uncertainty Within the United States Army

922 words - 4 pages affect all departments in the government. Unfortunately it will affect myself as a senior enlisted leader in the United States Army. In 2012, the Department of Defense (DOD), laid out a vision for a smaller and a more agile military force that has more flexibility. The plan is to reduce the Army’s footprint from 580,000 to 490,000 (Feickert, 2013). To get to the end state the Army has to cut eight Brigade Combat Teams (BCT), as well as other

Yellow Journalism And The Hearst Newspaper

1729 words - 7 pages The writings of William Randolph Hearst's newspaper The New York Journal had a profound effect on the American public during the era of Yellow Journalism. From 1895, when Hearst first purchased the paper, to 1966, the year of the Journal's last printing, scandalous articles about everything from the War with Spain to American politics would leave many spellbound and, at the same time, hungry for more. Most often, these writings published in the

William Randolph Hearst And The Spanish American War

4491 words - 18 pages William Randolph Hearst and the Spanish American War How far is a person willing to go to be the best? Will he sacrifice friends, family, even the lives of his countrymen? What makes someone that devoted to competition that they are willing to destroy everything that they’ve ever known, and quite possibly start a war in the process all to see that they’ve outsold there competition? These are the questions one must ask once you learn of the

Terrorism And Econoterrorsm: The Earth Liberation Front

1612 words - 6 pages Ku Klux Klan. Even within the United States, people only know the extreme right-wing group such as the Ku Klux Klan, Army of God, and the Sovereign Citizens. However, there is a rise in left-wing groups in America. Eco-terrorism is gaining popularity in the United States as issues including fracking, oil, and the claim of global warming are becoming more common at the dinner table and water cooler. Specially, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is

The Army And Environmental Compliance Essay

1682 words - 7 pages The Army and Environmental Compliance Since the inception of National environmental awareness and protection policies in the 1970’s, the Army has had to adjust how it conducts training. The development of Army environmental compliance programs, policies and strategies enable the Army to fulfill federal and state requirements governing the use of natural resources, while balancing the need for essential training to maintain combat