IndexIntroductionBodyConclusionReference ListIntroductionCharles Manson and his followers later known as "The Family" murdered innocent people in 1969 to start a counterrevolution in the United States. The details of these crimes for which the sect was tried are well known and studied even today. On the night of August 8, 1969 five people were brutally killed, the following night two more people. Four months later, the cult leader also known as Charles Manson and some women were arrested. After investigation the authorities discovered that the leader of the Family was not even in the room when these crimes occurred. So the question arises. How was it possible that one man could control his followers to the point of murder and make him a cult leader in the eyes of the world? We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayBodyBecause of these crimes Manson was nicknamed "the man who killed the 60s", so people began to associate this period with the end of what was supposed to be a happy and loving time. In the late 1960s young people were more inclined to hitchhike across the country or live together freely and this lifestyle was largely associated with California where freedom and social revolution were gaining traction in the media, in movies and even music. As a result, massive drug use and countercultural movements have spoken deeply to young people as: Atchison and Heide (2011) state: “young people across the nation were rebelling against conservative values ​​and norms by growing long hair, rejecting the traditional graces of dating and demanding rights for minorities, women and homosexuals. Marches for civil rights and women's rights were commonplace. It seemed that young people in the United States were attempting to create a utopia in which their ideals would clash with conservative values ​​and end war, pain and evil.” As a result, young people have had to bear the burden of making global and national changes regarding the society in which they live. Unfortunately some of the people fighting to make a change came into contact with Charles Manson and soon joined the Family. The first victim of Manson and his family was music teacher Gary Hinman who lived in Malibu in July 1969. The victim knew the perpetrators and the motive behind this was robbery as Manson believed that the victim had inherited money and sent the his followers to carry out the deed. . Sadistically the murderers had written in the blood of the political pig Hinman on the wall and had drawn the imprint of an animal paw (Bugliosi & Gentry, 1974). Unfortunately the murders didn't stop there. In the Santa Monica Mountains, L.A. Manson had ordered five members to destroy both property and all residents at 10050 Cielo Drive. The subsequent murder gained high media coverage due to the casualties. On August 9, 1969, the same four members went to the home of actress Sharon Tate and her husband Roman Polanski. Tex Watson, a devoted member of the Family, made sure to cut the phone line so the victims couldn't call for help. Walking past the house was Steven Parent, a familiar face to residents. He was stopped by Tex Watson and shot four times. The rest of the members broke into the house and killed all the occupants, including Sharon's unborn child. Just like the Gary Hinman case "Pig" was written in Tate's blood on the door (Watson eHoekstra, 1978). On August 10, 1969, Manson and the same four members chose their next victim. A gruesome scene was left behind at the LaBianca home. Charles Manson tied up both Leno LaBianca and Rosemary LaBianca but left before the pair were stabbed to death, following Manson's instructions. However, there was no longer any writing on the walls except the word "War" etched into Rosemary's stomach. After extensive media coverage, the murders received the dream of a changesociety seemed to fade away. After it was discovered that this cult had committed those gruesome crimes and that some of the most beloved celebrities had been murdered, Manson was the one guilty of destroying a loving "paradise" and replacing it with violence and crime. Although the Family did not follow sacred texts or profess religious beliefs as if they were a norm for a cult, people associated Charles Manson and The Family with a cult because of the way this "community" functioned and Charles Manson's role as leader. Richardson (1993) explains that cults operate in terms of opposition to dominant society, as well as other cults. The Family believed strongly in its cause: to ultimately assume leadership of nations and engage in violence and crime. Because Mansion's followers had a young and disturbed character. adults attracted to a 'cultistic' lifestyle could be seduced by the charismatic leader (Livsey 1980). These traits fall into what Ellwood (1986) would describe as the necessary foundational layers of a cult. First, the cult leader is very often authoritarian and charismatic, which Charles Manson proved to be when he showed the world his songs and his peaceful rallies. where in reality he would control his following by inducing them to commit murders and fueling his following and vice versa narcissism and megalomania. Secondly, a cult must have a distinct alternative to the dominant patterns that can be seen in Charles Manson and the Family regarding its strong beliefs regarding race wars. Due to words left at crime scenes such as "Pig", "Rise", and "Death to Pigs", Manson's goal was to pin these crimes on African Americans to start the war. And once the war began, he believed that the African American race would win and that the surviving whites would eventually regain power because African Americans would fail to restart civilization. "In Manson's mind, his family, and especially he, would be the ultimate beneficiaries of a civil war between blacks and whites." Charles Manson's obsession with race wars can be explained by Durkheim's view on the formation of religion. Even though this cult was not religious, this theory can still be applied. A necessary condition for the development of a religion (in this case a cult) is the nomination of an object, animal or individual as sacred by the member. Durkheim explained the sacred through totems which are seen as the external and visible form of a totemic principle or clan, also known as a symbol attributed to a society or group bound together by an oath of kinship regardless of blood ties. Thus the clan incorporated the totem into sacredness, giving it significant symbolic representation (Durkheim 1976). As for the Manson Family, the Beatles' White Album, more specifically the song Helter Skelter, functioned as a totem. The album's children "inspired" Charles into believing that the band was communicating with him, thus forming some sort of "apocalyptic" connection. Helter Skelter became the cause of the cult through Manson's belief in the impending revolution and war between the whites andblacks, so he became adamant about preaching and lecturing his following about the “coming” of Helter Skelter (Waldron 1970). There was nothing religiously sacred about this album, but it was given symbolic representation and his followers believed in Helter Skelter, which Manson understood as the end of the world. The family collectively accepted and kept Manson's philosophy true through his consistent preaching. about the 'end' and Helter Skelter and how when it arrived everyone would have to flee into the desert. Durkheim (1976) also explains that another condition for forming a religion is a Church or moral community. Although the Family did not attend any church, there were always constant demonstrations of their "faith". These demonstrations consisted of the orders and will of Charles Manson and also the preparations for Helter Skelter. Manson will climb rocks to "preach" and perform many initiations for new members to join the Family through LSD trips and sexual acts. This further demonstrates the level of authoritarian and totalitarian power that Charles Manson had over the Family. But how could Charles Manson control his following by making them believe in him so blindly? From a sociological point of view, Durkheim and Weber's theories could explain Manson's behavior and course of action. A very important feature of the Family is that Charles Manson was surrounded by a charismatic group, including himself, so charismatic friendship and leadership gave rise to structured collective faith structures. This faith united the collective consciousness through belief in the extraordinary powers Manson wielded as a mystical master. Weber's (1968) concept of charisma and charisma-based communities provides an understanding of the Manson family. Weber defines charisma as “a certain quality of an individual's personality by virtue of which he is considered extraordinary and treated as having supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities”. These powers are considered exemplary and qualify the individual to be a leader. Manson's charisma and authority came from several sources, such as his so-called miracle-performing powers. His followers were attracted to Manson because they believed in his power to perform miracles such as reviving a dead bird, being able to fly their bus to the Ranch, or being able to overcome death (Sanders 1971); or his skill as a sexual virtuoso. Sex contributed significantly in the family and Manson preached about the need for sexual acts especially with him but also with each other. Another source is the musical talent towards the countercultural movement and Manson's musical ability was considered extraordinary; or his "talent" for extreme frenetic dancing where he would take to the floor and dance in every direction. No one could match him and his followers believed his dancing was charismatic and full of artistry when in reality his dancing was similar to the state of dancing possession of religiously inspired groups. Another part of Manson's charismatic qualifications included previous experience as an ex-convict. For this reason he stood higher than anyone else because he thought he had experience both as a criminal and as a prisoner of structured and legal society, therefore he inspired respect, fear and awe among his followers (Bugliosi 1974). Another important aspect of Manson's charisma was his psychological abilities, especially feminine ones. He was able to identify problems with parents, especially fathers, so the family believed that his talent was so great that he was able to read minds or communicate at a distance. Manson ne.1048-9843(97)90015-1.