Counterculture Analysis: The Manson Family

Counter gardening Analysis The Manson FamilySarah BlonarowyczIn a world full of different continents, countries, and beyond, there be a Brobdingnagian variety of different societies, and within those societies, different cultures. While there is a command culture set by the majority of society, there atomic number 18 also branches of some former(a) cultures with their stimulate set of values and norms. Some be simply referred to as subcultures, and others be referred to as countercultures. A counterculture refers to a meeting of flock within a society that creates new norms bring outdoor(a) the general culture that make coexisting difficult mingled with the larger and littler cultures (Sociology 39). While there are have been and continue to be countercultures donjon inside the culture of the majority, some countercultures have gone d own in history for their nonorious actions-countercultures like the Manson Family.The 1960s were quite a miscellanea from the modest 19 050s. The Beatles took the world by storm, and half the American population were impressible teenagers ready to evolve their lives by the horns, like questioning the validity of mainstream sacred (PBS), and giving drugs like marijuana and LSD power (University of Virginia Library). Also, the rise of the civilised rights movement influenced the opinions of citizens all across the country (History). All these concepts were new to the Americans, which do culture a volatile entity among society.Charles Manson, an ex-convict, saw the fluctuation in culture as an opportunity to display his root words of utter chaos in preceding of the public in attempt of gaining followers and support, to which he succeeded. Manson utilized his charisma in manipulative meanss by using sex as a way to gain followers, starting with his first l everywhere after(prenominal) the fourth dimension he did in California State Penitentiaries, Mary Theresa Brunner. subsequently Brunner, other women began to band together in support of Manson, satisfying his invariably desire, officially creating the group the world now chicanes today as the Manson Family (Virginia).The idea of this counterculture was created by Manson as a concept later coined Helter Skelter, the same call originally given to a The Beatles song. Helter Skelter was essentially the idea that the world was tarriance on an impending apocalyptic race war between the sinlessness people and the black people. Manson desired that the blacks would dominate, but would fail to maintain their dominance, which would be Manson and his familys discriminative stimulus to weasel their way into power after surviving the war through cover (Virginia). Mansons possible action took the norms of this magazine period and added an element of violence and chaos. He took this theory into his own hands and made that violence and chaos a reality.In order to induce the race war he predicted, Manson had a plan. During this measure of the clashing public opinions between black people and white people over civil rights, Manson and his family committed heinous crimes against white celebrities in attempt to march black people and create more conflict between the 2 races (Virginia). The most famous cases held responsible by the Manson family were the get rid ofs of Gary Hinman, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, and Sharon Tate.The assassinate of Gary Hinman was carried out primarily by the Family members Charles Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Mary Brunner, Bobby Beausoleil, and Charles Manson himself. by and by a scam play by Watson under the orders of Manson, Hinman allegedly owed Manson Money. When Hinman was unable to cooperate under the hale of Beausoleil, Atkins, and Brunner, Beausoleil stabbed and killed Hinman, finishing Mansons job after slicing Hinmans ear with a trade name (Crime Museum).Atkins and Watson, along with Manson, were also discover to have involvement in the murder of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca as we ll as other Family members, Steve Grogan, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia Krenwinkel (Crime Museum). After be a party at their house a year sooner their murder, Manson mercilessly killed the innocent grocery-chain owner and his wife in attempt to visit more conflict to provoke his race war (Crime Museum). Both murders between Hinman and the LaBiancas were equally morbid, but the murder of Sharon Tate garnered the most attention.Actress Sharon Tate, pregnant with her baby, had had ex-fiance and eminence Jay Sebring and heiress Abigail Folger and her boyfriend Voytek Polanski over as guests the night she was murdered, all of which set down victim to the Manson Familys schemes as well. The murder was carried about by Watson, Atkins, Kasabian, and Krenwinkel under Mansons instruction. After investigating this crime scene, police found drugs which initially lead them to believe the Tate case had no connection with the other murders, but eventually discovered the truth with the help of Atkins cooperation (Peacock).Sociology has coined terms in order to help people look at a situation that involves others actions that they might have not otherwise understood. The sociological perspective views society in a scientific manner, which prompts people to look beyond what they might personally believe and know in order to explain why people are the way they are (Sociology 4), which leads to the sociological imagination which conveys the idea that when having a sociological perspective, a person is able to connect personally values to the world outside of them (Sociology 5). For example, looking from the outside, the Manson Familys actions were completely inexcusable, but reading into those actions, their beliefs reflected the pop culture of that time greatly. Mansons theory was named after a The Beatles song, who were incredibly famous at that time especially. Furthermore, like a large portion of the population, the Manson Family were under the influence of drug, which in fluenced their decisions and actions. The Manson Family are a counterculture not because they lived in an on the whole different culture than the domicile of the American population at that time, but because they took pop culture to an entirely new level.Ethnocentrism is a concept that has its negatives and its positives, and each culture fails victim to it, including the Manson Family. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one culture is superior to all others, or culture persuade (Sociology 35). The Manson Family had no regret for anyone else in the world but their own Family. They believed they could take over the world when it would be at its weakest. They killed people for their own gain. The Manson Family showed signs of ethnocentrism in their strongly loyalty and devotion to each other and their community, but finally their beliefs of superiority lead them to commit murder over and over again. pagan relativism is used in sociology in order to eliminate bias of ones own culture . Cultural relativism states that culture should be judged independently and apart from the standards of all other cultures (Sociology 36). For example, by applying cultural relativism to this situation, one can evaluate the culture of the Manson Family by labeling them as violent, savage people that have committed horrible crimes, however, when it their own norms and values are taken into consideration it might not expect so out of character. People all around the world since the arising of time have relied on religion, and they use that to make excuses for their behavior, which is generally socially acceptable. The Manson Family committed their crimes partly because they thought they were following their own beliefs. Some members of the Manson Family believed that Charles Manson was the Nazarene Christ, including himself (Peacock 78). When other factors that might not be so obvious are taken into consideration, the actions behind the motives may be emphasized with.The Manson Fa mily committed murder for their own selfish gain. The factors of sociological perspective, sociological imagination, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism can be used in every direction possible, but their actions cannot be excused. Yes, they play their values and norms in a sense like any other culture that ever lived has done, but the degree the Manson Family took it to was unhealthy and unacceptable. The Family was misguided by their infatuation for their leader and, ignorantly unbeknownst to them, his manipulative ways. Charles Manson gathered his Family in order to carry out his theory of Helter Skelter by murdering people so he could take the reign of the world. The Manson Family will remain a counterculture with its negativity toward humankind.ReferencesCrime Museum. 2017. Web. 6 butt 2017.History. 2010. Web. 11 sue 2017.PBS. 2005. Web. 10 March 2017.Peacock, Nancy. Great Prosecutions. The Trial of the Manson Family. Philadelphia Chelsea House Publishers, 2002. 73-81. Prin t.Sociology. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Cultural Diversity. Austin Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003. 4-36. Print.University of Virginia Library. n.d. Web. 11 March 2017.Virginia. n.d. Web. 8 March 2017.