Patty Hearst
Patty Hearst is the American heiress who was kidnapped in 1974 by the Symbionese Liberation Army and subsequently participated in crimes with her captors, most famously a bank robbery caught on security cameras.
Her case became a cultural touchstone for debates about brainwashing, Stockholm syndrome, and whether victims can become willing participants.
The name is sometimes invoked as shorthand for someone whose loyalties appear to have shifted dramatically under pressure or duress: He went full Patty Hearst and started defending the company that laid him off.
Payment for captive's release
- abductionUnlawful seizure of person
- captivityState of being confined
- blindfoldSight-blocking eye cover
- closetBuilt-in storage chamber
brainwashing · Stockholm syndrome · coercion · indoctrination · Tania · conversion · captors · demands
Protection against harm
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- verdictOfficial court decision
- convictionFirmly held belief
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
jury · courtroom · sentencing · appeal · commutation · Jimmy Carter · pardon · Bill Clinton
Rejection of mainstream values
- Vietnam WarCold-era Indochina military engagement
- Nixon37th U.S. president
- Watergate1970s political crisis
- radical politicsPolitics seeking root-level change
domestic terrorism · underground movements · political violence · tabloid · cause célèbre · urban guerrilla · revolutionary · leftist
Recorded monitoring video
- beretFlat wool cap
- carbineShort-barreled lightweight firearm
- armedCarrying weapons
- getawaySwift departure or retreat
fugitive · wanted poster · FBI · manhunt · accomplice · holdup · teller · vault
Abundance of valuable resources
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- socialiteProminent figure in fashionable circles
- debutanteFormally introduced young woman
- fortuneWealth or destiny
inheritance · elite · patrician · philanthropy · trust fund · aristocracy · blue blood · high society
ransom
Payment for captive's release
- abductionUnlawful seizure of person
- captivityState of being confined
- blindfoldSight-blocking eye cover
closet · brainwashing · Stockholm syndrome · coercion · indoctrination · Tania · conversion · captors · demands · tape recordings
defense
Protection against harm
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- verdictOfficial court decision
- convictionFirmly held belief
testimony · jury · courtroom · sentencing · appeal · commutation · Jimmy Carter · pardon · Bill Clinton · mental state
counterculture
Rejection of mainstream values
- Vietnam WarCold-era Indochina military engagement
- Nixon37th U.S. president
- Watergate1970s political crisis
radical politics · domestic terrorism · underground movements · political violence · tabloid · cause célèbre · urban guerrilla · revolutionary · leftist · anti-establishment
surveillance footage
Recorded monitoring video
getaway · fugitive · wanted poster · FBI · manhunt · accomplice · holdup · teller · vault · criminal
wealth
Abundance of valuable resources
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- socialiteProminent figure in fashionable circles
- debutanteFormally introduced young woman
fortune · inheritance · elite · patrician · philanthropy · trust fund · aristocracy · blue blood · high society · benefactor
- 1970sdisco, Watergate, Nixon, Vietnam War, Saturday Night Fever
- Bank RobbersJohn Dillinger, Jesse James, Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy, Pretty Boy Floyd
- Famous TrialsScopes Trial, Nuremberg Trials, Tokyo Trials, Ted Bundy
Patty Hearsttrue believer
Completely committed adherent
Patty HearstCharles Manson