On August 23rd, 1973 two machine-gun carrying criminals entered a bank in Stockholm, Sweden. Blasting their guns, one prison escapee named Jan-Erik Olsson announced to the terrified bank employees "The party has just begun!" The two bank robbers held four hostages, three women and one man, for the next 131 hours. The hostages were strapped with dynamite and held in a bank vault until finally rescued on August 28th.
After their rescue, the hostages exhibited a shocking attitude considering they were threatened, abused, and feared for their lives for over five days. In their media interviews, it was clear that they supported their captors and actually feared law enforcement personnel who came to their rescue. The hostages had begun to feel the captors were actually protecting them from the police. One woman later became engaged to one of the criminals and another developed a legal defense fund to aid in their criminal defense fees. Clearly, the hostages had "bonded" emotionally with their captors.
This account of the original Stockholm syndrome is part of an article on the disorder, entitled "Love and Stockholm Syndrome: The Mystery of Loving an Abuser." The author calls it a "survival strategy," and identifies some of the key elements that call it into play. Among them: a perceived threat to physical or psychological survival; a perception of "small kindnesses" bestowed by the abuser; isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor; and perceived inability to escape.
Sound familiar?
After being released yesterday from 13 days of captivity by Arab palestinian terrorists, during which he was held face down on a garage floor, tied up in "uncomfortable positions" and forced to make a videotaped statement denouncing the United States and converting to Islam, Fox News reporter Steve Centanni said:
"I want to thank everybody. I am happy to be here. I hope that this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover the story because the Palestinian people are very beautiful and kind hearted," Centanni told reporters. "The world needs to know more about them. Don't be discouraged."
Let's bear in mind that Centanni made this statement while still in Gaza, in the midst of a group of Arab palestinian journalists and leaders of Hamas. It remains to be seen whether he's still singing this tune after the reality of his rescue has had time to seep in. What I want to know is: what's the media's excuse? Fox News continues to report this story as if it were all good, no harm done, continuing the "previously unknown terror group" charade. And Mere Rhetoric deftly eviscerates this nonsense from the NY Times:
Two journalists kidnapped in Gaza were released unharmed today after being forced at gunpoint to say on a videotape that they had converted to Islam. ...You idiot! You total blistering idiot! Being forced to convert is a harm. It might be the oldest harm short of death - being forced to renounce your faith and your god. Millions of people - literally millions - have died rather than deign to utter words that would force them to give up their faith. No wonder liberal journalists are utterly baffled by fully half of the United States - they don't think having to give up your religion is harmful.
Perhaps the NY Times (and many of its readers) are suffering from a Stockholm Syndrome of their own.
. . . isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor; and perceived inability to escape . . .
Hmmmmm.
More musings on this situation here.
