Societal Stockholm Syndrome

We know we’re being lied to.

Trash in.

Trash out. 

When is enough, enough?

When another administration gives billions of taxpayer dollars to a proxy war?

When the American taxpayer bails out the banks again?

When another “island” is unearthed?

When another witch hunt goes down in the Middle East?

When the media calls more riots mostly peaceful protests?

When another administration leaves billions of taxpayers dollars worth in military equipment for our enemy?

When another plane collides into an American skyscraper?

When another small American community is turned into a toxic wasteland?

When there’s no one left to answer these questions?

Stockholm Syndrome was first made famous by a bank robbery in—you guessed it—Stockholm, Sweden circa 1973. A brace of bank robbers took four hostages and began to endure a lengthy standoff with police.

As the event played out, Kristin Enmark, one of the hostages, spoke to the Prime Minister of Sweden on the phone and told him that she was afraid of the police and not the two robbers. She had developed a bond with the robbers and sympathized with them believing that they would guarantee her safety.

On August 28, 1973, six days after the hostage situation began, police raided the bank freeing the hostages, and arrested the two robbers. Unfortunately, two police officers were injured during the operation (Olsen, Ritter).

“Although force is often used, it is not essential. Many cults woo their victims with love, rather than brutality.” ― Kathleen Taylor, “Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control”

Stockholm Syndrome is defined by brittanica.com as the psychological condition of a victim who identifies with and empathizes with their captor or abuser and their goals. The article goes on to say that the syndrome is not understood as to why it happens. Researchers suggest that it’s a survival mechanism in which further harm is mitigated by the victim showing compliance and gratitude (Lambert). 

An extreme case of Stockholm Syndrome hails from Berkeley, California where Patty Hearst, an heiress of a wealthy newspaper magnate, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in 1974. 

Patty went full send with Stockholm Syndrome.

Months after her capture, she was said to have pledged allegiance to the SLA and took a picture holding a weapon in front of the SLA flag (Olsen, Ritter). 

A year after her kidnapping, she was arrested and sentenced to 7 years in prison. Fortunately for her, Big Daddy Magnate probably pulled some strings and she only served four years in prison when President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence and she was later pardoned by President Bill Clinton (Olsen, Ritter).

Experts say three traits are common in Stockholm Syndrome cases:

1. A severely skewed power relationship between the individuals concerned.
2. The captor threatens the hostage with physical harm or death.
3. The hostage holds a strong instinct for self-preservation (James).

The American public doesn’t have a balanced power relationship. We’ve been recently told if we don’t comply with certain measures that we could face imprisonment or even death. I believe that Americans should be/are hard to kill. 

We want life, liberty, and justice. 

We want to live free.

At least… we used to.

George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, “1984”, was eerily prophetic.

Ol’ George wrote this work of fiction back in 1949. It’s shocking at how apt he was at predicting groupthink, material shortages, propaganda, changing the meaning of words, restriction of free speech, and being under constant surveillance. 

Orwell used the concept of Stockholm Syndrome in his book although the definition didn’t become mainstream until 1973. 

Winston, the main character in “1984″ is caught having an affair, a big no-no in the world of Big Brother, and is subjected to torture and rehabilitation from a man named O’Brien. 

O’Brien juxtaposes himself somewhere between torturer and a father figure to Winston. In the midst of torturing Winston, O’Brien tells him that he’s doing it for his own good (James). 

The book’s closing paragraph provides great insight into Winston’s transformation:

“He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark mustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.”

We’ve been lulled into apathy by our elected propaganda machines through an intricate plan of smoke and mirrors.

The silent majority remains silent for a reason. 

Keep us distracted with gender, submarines, a proxy war, a laptop, emails, and unending divisiveness at every level of society from minimalist hipsters to newspaper magnate’s daughters.

We are fed propaganda from a runaway freight train loaded with toxins of fear.

George Orwell was right. It’s terrifying to see the power of groupthink on such a massive scale.

Similar to Stockholm syndrome is something more commonly known as brainwashing, or what britannica.com describes as coercive persuasion, a systematic effort to persuade nonbelievers to accept a certain allegiance, command, or doctrine.

Anyone who goes through the rigors of entering the military has a washed up brain to some degree. Although the brainwashing of American society took decades instead of weeks, the effects are palpable just like in boot camp.

America and its future is not doomed; things can change, but I can only speak for myself that my brain is sick of being abused in the propaganda laundromat. It’s going to take all of us to realize and accept that we’ve been duped, are being duped and Big Brother is planning future duping.

As a product of the Marine Corps I can unequivocally state that Corporal Ray Person’s quote from HBO’s “Generation Kill” nailed the truth of it (satire):

“You know what happens when you leave the Marines?  Ray questioned with his signature coy grin and then said, “You get your brains back.”

It’s not going to stop, but we can leave the garbage content where it belongs, in the unwatched trash can. 

Whatever happened to people getting along? It used to be that regardless of your political affiliation there was always some kind of common ground to get along. That seems to have disappeared with our privacy in the digital universe.

The divisiveness we seemingly experience is a direct result of these digitally fabricated echo chambers further enhanced by the destructive isolation experienced within the past 5 years

We have to escape the trap of living inside of our personal echo chambers digital and physical. Get outside of your box [comfort zone].

It’s time to get our brains back.

“Human beings have been trying to change each others’ minds since they first discovered they had them.” ― Kathleen Taylor, “Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control”

Intel extract: 

Lambert, Laura. “Stockholm Syndrome” https://www.britannica.com/science/Stockholm-syndrome

James, Maggie. “The Link Between ‘The Second Captive’ and George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’” https://www.maggiejamesfiction.com/blog/the-link-between-the-second-captive-and-george-orwells-nineteen-eighty-four

Olsen, Jan and Ritter, Karl. “What Is Stockholm Syndrome? It all started with a bank robbery 50 years ago.” https://apnews.com/article/stockholm-syndrome-history-origin-023ddcd3a14ac00a0ba88feb838574b3

Taylor, Kathleen. “Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control”. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/brainwash

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Jared Prewitt is a husband, father, marine, author, carpenter/teacher/coach, and lover of great stories. 

Jared was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He participated in the Battle of Ramadi (Iraq) as a Designated Marksman from 2006-2007 and as a Squad Leader in the Battle of Garmsir (Afghanistan) in 2008. 

After being honorably discharged in 2009 having served five years, Jared moved to Colorado and married in 2011. He has a Bachelor’s in Business and a Masters in Writing. You can find him bowling, golfing, camping, hunting, or fishing when he’s not around his family. 

Check out his other work on Instagram @cold_steel_collective or at www.jareprewittwritesstuff.com. 

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.