Disturbing Facts About The Patty Hearst Kidnapping
"There's always some days you wish things had never happened, like you'd never been born, that sort of thing but I'm not the kind of person anyway that can just sit around and say, "gee, I wish that never happened." I don't ever do that.
There's no point. That is a total and complete waste of time."—Patty Hearst
The legend of Patty Hearst has faded somewhat with the passing of time, but there was a time when her life astonished and fascinated millions of people all over the world. The granddaughter of one of the richest men in the US, famously the victim of a kidnapping by a revolutionary cell, only to be put on trial for taking part in crimes alongside the very people who kidnapped her! However, things became complicated even further when the subject of brainwashing was brought up. A lot of questions were raised, and the different accounts have made it difficult to figure out what really happened. Hopefully these 24 facts can help clarify this complicated case, but still, there are some things that the public will simply never know about this famous case.
Patty Hearst Kidnapping Facts
24. A Revolution That Never Came
Patty Hearst was kidnapped by a group that called themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army, an anti-racist and anti-capitalist left-leaning group which saw themselves as the forerunners of a revolution in the making. While they didn’t initially start off as radical as they did, the group eventually moved towards violent crimes like bank robberies and even murder in their attempts to further their ultimate goals.
23. The Film Rights
Three movies have been made about Hearst’s life during her time with Symbionese Libertarian Army: Patty Hearst, Guerilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst,and The Radical Story of Patty Hearst. Unfortunately, there was never a chance to make the sequel we all wanted: Patty Hearst 2: Electric Boogaloo.
22. Rosebud…
Hearst’s grandfather was William Randolph Hearst, the creator of the largest newspaper empire in the entire world. Eventually, Hearst expanded his operation to magazines, newsreels, and even movies. He wielded immense influence over the United States political system (and entertainment system) for decades, and the Hearst family was known for its staunchly anti-communist activities after World War II. William Randolph Hearst was such a towering (and controversial) figure that Orson Welles actually made a movie to criticize his life and activities: Citizen Kane.
