Can anyone defend his executioner? In the 1970s, Nils Bejerot described a social behavior – which represents a contradiction – that occurs when the victim expresses love for the kidnapper. This phenomenon is called the Stockholm syndrome.

In this syndrome, the social bond of violence has two faces: on the one hand, it is rejected, and on the other, it is admired. A similar thing seems to be happening in Latin American societies, kidnapped by criminal gangs that operate in the shadows and fill cities with terror. But whose citizens admire the powerful, even though their income comes from economic activities outside the law.

Go for pessimism

It seems that we are living the Stockholm syndrome when, along with politically correct discourse, there is a sociocultural structure that maintains and encourages admiration for these clay heroes. Examples of this are songs (narcocorridos), murals in honor of drug dealers and the predisposition of many legal professionals and other branches, who become servants of the interests of powerful criminal groups.

What is characteristic of Stockholm syndrome is that the victims are blinded by their captor and deep down they want to be like them. It can be concluded from this that our society has certain signs that it is suffering from Stockholm syndrome, and if so, it is important to warn members of institutional structures about this dangerous phenomenon.

As soon as possible, now

However, Stockholm syndrome appears to appear occasionally in history. And that coincides with the crisis. For example: the legend of Robin Hood is a picture of someone who steals from some families and distributes his profits to others. In Latin America, Pablo Escobar Gaviria has been assimilated into a legend, there are museums, music, programs and novels that contribute to improving the image of these characters and their crimes. Should this continue?

How to overcome Stockholm syndrome? The first suggestion is to stay away from anything related to hijackers. And on the other hand, punish severely; Therefore, the state must crush those who condemn societies to terror. The third indicator is the creation of cultural, media and communication production that discredits social crime.

Since small states are yielding to de facto powers, it is time for transnational, international organizations to join forces and guarantee social peace. Therefore, in order to overcome the Stockholm syndrome in society, a higher transnational agreement is needed that will condemn criminal acts in unison, prohibit their worship and punish the service of the stated cause.

Unfortunately, crime is a global problem. Therefore, the solutions to crime must be planetary. It may be possible to coordinate global actions today, due to technological development, but the participation of every state, every citizen and international support is necessary. It is time to stop sympathizing with the hijackers, the unscrupulous and the corrupt. It is time to determine that certain crimes are in the “indefensible” category. (OR)