19. Cults 2: Clare Bronfman (NXIVM) & Patty Hearst (Symbionese Liberation Army)

This week, we revisit the topic of women and cults. Rachel starts us off with the story of Clare Bronfman, an heiress to the Seagram liquor fortune. Clare's sister, Sara, encouraged her to start taking a group called Nxivm's self-improvement classes. Clare and her sister became more and more involved with the group and soon had given millions of dollars to the group's leader, Keith Raniere. Nxivm started to attract media attention, uncovering their hidden agendas and resulting in Clare's arrest. Nathalie tells the story of another famous heiress, Patty Hearst. Patty was the daughter of a media mogul who was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. Even though she was kidnapped, she ended up joining her captors in committing criminal acts. We discuss whether or not Patty is responsible for her crimes and the effects fear can have on decision making. Rachel's Sources Seagram https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagram From Heiress To Felon: How Clare Bronfman Wound Up In 'Cult-Like' Group Nxivm, by Will Yakowicz https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2019/05/31/from-heiress-to-felon-how-clare-bronfman-wound-up-in-cult-like-group-nxivm/#3771af103ecf Keith Raniere, Convicted Leader Of Cultlike Group Nxivm, Will Be Sentenced In October, by Will Yakowicz https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2020/08/14/keith-raniere-convicted-leader-of-cult-like-group-nxivm-will-be-sentenced-in-october/#40cfb42757a8 Clare Bronfman, citing pandemic, asks for delay in NXIVM sentencing, by Robert Gavin https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Clare-Bronfman-citing-pandemic-asks-for-delay-15287184.php Nathalie's Sources https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/patty-hearst https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Hearst https://www.npr.org/2016/08/03/488373982/whose-side-was-she-on-american-heiress-revisits-patty-hearst-s-kidnapping https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbionese_Liberation_Army https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/01/what-is-the-symbionese-liberation-army.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst_Communications