What was the power of Charles Manson?
The person who you see in the photo did not have a lucky childhood. His mother was a sex worker and got pregnant unintentionally when she was 16. She did not want and care about the child that she offered to someone to give the child in exchange for beer in a bar. Furthermore, she went to jail after a while. That’s why the child was alone in the face of a cruel life. Because of the cruel life, he chose to be cruel too. He had a criminal record which consists of many types of crimes such as theft, extortion, drugs, pimping, and fake checks. That’s why he went to jail many times. But one day, he was raped in jail. These bad experiences made him a worse person. He began to hate the world, people, and even himself.
He had time to discover himself when he was in jail. He noticed that he had an ability to persuade. He could impress people easily when he talked to them. Then he decided to test this ability on people. After he got out of jail, he joined a hippie group. He showed off his skills and was successful. So, who is this guy who is 160 cm tall? Here is Charles Manson, the leader of one of the most brutal cults in American History.
Don’t mind me saying cult, blood, or something. This guy was attractive, cheerful, romantic, compassionate, and fun. He was interested in music. He learned to play guitar when he was in jail. Moreover, he was a poet. Also, his intelligence level is said to be around 120. So, how did he join the bloody cults?
It couldn’t be said that Charles’s childhood was good. What he experienced in the jail left a permanent mark on him. There were also a few events that made him sad. One of them is that a music producer rejected him. As he was good at music and always wanted to be a musician, this event made him so angry and upset.
As I mentioned earlier, he could persuade people easily. He discovered this ability in the jail. After he got free, he joined a hippie group and tried his talent in this group. As he was good at convincing, he began to gain many people. In this way, he started to build the Manson Family which is one of the most famous cults in America.
Manson was a big fan of The Beatles. He was especially obsessed with the song Helter Skelter. Manson said to people that he got some messages via The Beatles’ songs. He said to people around him that five angels were sent to the world. According to him, four of them were The Beatles members, the other was himself. Moreover, he thought that a racial war will start and black people will kill white people. That’s why he said, “We should kill some white people and then we show this event as if black people did it”. According to him, this was a revolution and he was a revolutionary.
According to Charles Manson, only he had the power to rule the world. He thought that he was a prophet or even God. When he was at a rock concert, he saw himself as Jesus who was crucified. After that, he said, “I am Messiah”.
Charles Manson gained more people day by day. This society was called “the Manson Family” because they were like a real family. They lived in a home in the middle of a desert. This home was a set where western movies were shot. They lived there without other people, technology, and communication.
In this cult, there were many types of habits such as drugs and group sex. But it is the point that Manson didn’t use drugs, just pretend to be using drugs. Another fact is that these people didn’t work and earn money. But as they had to fill their bellies, they stole from houses around. Sometimes they gathered food from garbage and recycle them.
Although Manson was attractive and funny, he began to change gradually. He was beating women at home but at the same time, he had a relationship with them. Some of them were getting pregnant and giving birth to children. But despite everything, women chose to stay. They thought that no one belongs to anyone, everyone belongs to Manson.
Day by day, Manson and group members’ relationship got worse and more perverted. As these people didn’t see their families, it was easy. Manson pushed the limits little by little. As I mentioned earlier, there was a producer who rejected Manson. Because Charles hated this man, he said to his “family” “Go to this man’s house and kill anyone there”. Then his most loyal followers went to the home, but it was the problem that the producer wasn’t living there anymore. Home’s new owners were a famous director and his actress wife Sharon Tate.
On that day, Sharon Tate and her friends were dancing and having fun at home. Her husband wasn’t at home. Suddenly, Manson’s followers came to the home and killed anyone. One of the people who was killed by the followers was Sharon Tate who was 8 months pregnant. But no one knew that Manson’s followers killed them.
The Manson Family, who robbed and committed crimes, continued their lives. But one day, one of them went to jail. When she was in jail, she babbled out that the Manson Family killed Sharon Tate. A prisoner who heard that shared this information with the prison officials. Necessary investigations were made by police officers. Then, the house was raided and all members of the Manson Family were taken into custody.
After the accusations, His followers were punished for murder, and Charles for instigating. But it is a weird fact that the female followers were really happy when they were in court. The only thing that upset them was that they would never see Charles again. They even had a photograph of Charles in their cells. When the guardians got up one morning, they saw that the women shaved their hair. Because according to the women, Charles wanted them to do this.
So, how did Charles achieve this? How did he turn their head? Manson was a cheerful and fun person. At first sight, he can impress people around him. He has a sharp observation ability. That’s why he could know people’s personalities and weaknesses. Then, he used these features of people for himself. Another essential point was that he always chose weak and controllable people. Thus, his success percentage was high.
People, who joined the family, were a huge gap. One of the followers was disenchanted with Manson and noticed her mistake. When she was asked “Why did you do this?”, “I just wanted to be loved,” she said. I think it is the point. The feeling of belonging to a group and having a strong leader is empowering things. Charles was a caressing person. He always looked like cared about the family members. It is good to remember that when people are in a crisis, they are more likely to join cults. Because only this way can the emptiness inside them be filled. That’s exactly what Charles Manson did.