Helter Skelter Book Report

The year was 1969, and in earliest August seven battalion were brut wholey takeed rowing like Pig, Healter Skelter and Rise were found printed in blood at the crime scenes. until nowtu all in ally it is discovered that the perpetrators of these horrific crimes are cult members living on the outskirts of society, guide by a man named Charles Manson. But who is Charles Manson? Charles Manson is a monster, surely, but as a monster he offers us a unique look into the valet de chambre mind. This semester we ache learned about the many different types of people who whitethorn engage in individual forms of social wildness.Charles Manson however, provides us the case study of a man whose life revolved some interpersonal violence in all its manifestations. There was nothing this man wouldnt do to reach his goals he would rape, murder, manipulate, and lie all in the name of his personal ambitions. In Vincent Bugliosis withstand, Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murde rs, the reader is provided a thorough explanation of how Manson developed his criminal lifestyle though the focus is on the famous murders he helped to commit as the loss leader of The Family and the process partd to convict him.After a sketch comment about the book as a whole and its writing style and content, Mansons connections to the subject of interpersonal violence will be examined. These connections take the subjects of child neglect, rape, domestic violence, and spiritual abuse. This book offers a huge amount of detail regarding how the Manson Family murders were committed, how the investigation proceeded and how the trial against Manson was won.To b frame this history to life, Bugliosi organized his book into chapters ranging from hotshot month to five month increments which serve to place the reader back in the summer of 69 right after the Tate murders were committed, and take him or her all the track to the conclusion of the trial and its aftermath. While this lev el of detail and careful organization is very intelligent at informing the reader of the details of Mansons crimes and how he got convicted, I believe that most important is the analysis of Mansons life in regards to interpersonal violence.Therefore, I will focus only on the summary of Mansons life provided in the book, as easily as his methods for building and controlling his Family. Since this book was written by a lawyer (Mr. Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the Manson case), one might think that Helter Skelter might be rather boring i. e. make sensely fact driven and concerned with the technical aspects of the Manson trial as Mr. Bugliosi experienced them. This book is certainly very concerned with the facts, and Bugliosi even provides the time that many events took place. The police investigation is especially explicit in this regard.For example, about 130 that afternoon Lieutenant Burdick interviewed a girl who had been booked under the name Leslie Sankston, (p. 1 21). This aspect of the book can be hard to get done at times, as there is a large cast of characters including suspects, law enforcement officials, witnesses and other ancillary characters whose actions and influences on the case are laid out in careful detail. It can be difficult to keep track of who provided what evidence or which Manson family member was or wasnt involved in the groups actions (to make matters worse many of the Family have multiple aliases and nicknames).However, despite some factual overload, Bugliosi does add some comments which add flavor and help the reader to ensure what the murders meant for people living around Los Angeles at the time. For example, Bugliosi talks quite about how the general public and the media react to the murders, including details such as, one Beverly Hills sporting goods investment firm sold 200 firearms prior to the murders, they averaged trine or four a day, (p. 73).This color commentary lifts the readers division out of the wo rld of the murder investigation to remind them that outside of all this tragedy people were living their ordinary lives, and were obviously scared and nervous about the violence they saw occurrent in their city. Another interesting aspect of the story is the fact that while this book is in a management a history book feeling at the past, Bugliosi actually experienced this history and provides his own emotional reactions to what happened.For example, when Bugliosi read Mansons file to understand who he was about to prosecute he commented, I was surprised, in studying Mansons record, to find no sustained history of violence, (p. 203). While the reader might disagree with Bugliosi (it seems that instances of armed robbery, homo sexual rape and married woman beating could be considered a sustained history), these personal reactions to what is going on show the reader that Bugliosi is not merely an author or a historian, but a character in this story who experienced all the madness r evolving around Charles Manson first hand.Therefore, while Helter Skelter might be considered very fact-driven it certainly has a heart, and Mr. Bugliosi does an excellent job describing not only exactly how the investigation went, but also how it felt for some of the people involved. Anyone interested in interpersonal violence, the 60s or Charles Manson will certainly have learnt a great deal after finishing this book. As Ive said previously, the life of Charles Manson revolved around interpersonal violence. From an early age Manson was the victim of child neglect his mother (Kathleen Maddox) would leave him with neighbors, for an hour, then disappear for days or weeks, (p. 91).While there is no evidence provided that Manson was actually ab employ during these days forth from his mother, the lack of any strong parental figures to care for him must have been traumatizing for Manson. Kathleen was sixteen when Charles was born, and was known to wassail and party, often bringing hom e men with the same proclivities. She was also a very poor model for her son when it came to following the law. Along with her brother Luther, Kathleen was sentenced to five years in prison for armed robbery when Charles was between four and five years old.Manson never met his father who is said to have died in 1954. Considering his upbringing, it is not surprising that the boy had trouble adjusting properly, and that his struggle to be noticed and gain attention would be at the core of his being. When Manson was twelve his mother sent him away to the Gibault School for Boys, describe as a caretaking institution, (p. 191) because she could no longer to care for him. From this point on Charles Manson would be in and out of institutions (including prison).When the investigations for the Tate-LaBianca murders were taking place Manson was 32 years old and had spent over seventeen of those years in some form of institution. During the time Manson was incarcerated personality examination s were conducted and various descriptions warn of the possibility of violence. Manson was described as being, aggressively antisocial, (p. 193) having, a tendency toward moodiness, (p. 192) and as, hiding his loneliness, resentment, and hostility behind a facade of superficial ingratiation, (p. 00).These examinations and their conclusions will be very important when considering what could have been done to stop Manson and what we as a society can do to ensure no one like him is ever awarded to terrorize others again. The acts of interpersonal violence Manson committed during his time in and out of institutions are numerous. When Manson was seventeen he attended Natural Bridge Camp and a month before his beat hearing he, took a razor blade and held it against another boys throat while he sodomized him, (p. 194).However, this did not stop Manson from being rel reposed and he immediately married a waitress and got her pregnant (he was 19). A year later however, he was in trouble wit h the law for stealing cars (and driving them across assure lines a federal offense) and admitted to the judge-requested psychiatrist that he beat his wife, at times, (p. 196). After three years in jail, Manson was released with five years parole (the year was 1958). In 1959, Mansons parole officer was informed by a parent that Manson had conned his daughter (Jo Anne) and one of her friends (Beth), telling them he was in the night club, radio and video recording business.Manson convinced Jo Anne to invest her savings in his bogus company, got her pregnant (there was no mention if the sex was consensual), and drugged and raped Beth as swell up (p. 199). For violating his probation as well as these new sexual crimes he was accused of committing Manson was sentenced to 10 years in prison (although he was paroled on March 21, 1967). It was after this stint in prison that Manson began to bring his Family together and it was with them that he truly began to explore his appetite for vi olence through the use of spiritual abuse.The Manson Family at first glance whitethorn not seem different from many of the communes that had execute together in the 60s, representing a desire for sexual liberation and a more natural way of living. However, the Family was not simply a commune, but a cult whose idea of a more natural way of life included violence, submission and lastly control over the world as the, pure, white master race, (p. 330). To members of the family Charles Manson was Jesus Christ or God, and these were the aliases that Charlie Manson provided the police when he was charged for the car theft ring (p. 80).Manson invariably had a desire for attention and to feel noticed and important, and it was through his creation of his own religion that he could finally get what he always wanted. Unfortunately for his acolytes, Mansons appetite for violence and abuse only escalated once he had a multitude of willing victims under his control. It may seem erratic that peo ple would want to join such an abusive group, but Manson had various means to attract people to his Family. To convince men to join him Manson would use the sexual favors of the girls already under his control.For example, when trying to attract a biker from the Straight Satans gang to join him, Manson is quoted as saying, Move up here, you can have all the girls you want, all the girls, (p. 131). To get girls to join Manson would ask for the help of some of the more attractive men in the Family to, go down to the Sunset Strip, where the teenyboppers hung out, or drive the highways ceremonial occasion for girls who were hitchhiking, (p. 317) in the hope that they would be able to lure some of the girls back to the ranch the Family was living on.Once these new recruits were introduced to the Family, Manson had a variety of techniques he would use to control them. Manson was said to have possessed an ability to capitalize on, a persons hang-ups and/or desires, (p. 316). He told plain girls they were beautiful, told girls with daddy issues to imagine that he was their father, and girls looking for a leader that he was Jesus Christ. To ensure that the girls were completely submissive Manson would convince them that, women are only as good as their men, and that they were a reflection of their men, (p. 02).This is obviously ideal for a cult leader because Manson portrayed himself as the father of the Family and their savior. Since their man was so good, these girls felt that they were good, and that Manson would lead them to salvation and love. This florilegium of brainwashing and domination produced in the girls, a little girl quality as if they had been, retarded at a certain stage in their childhood, (p. 184-185). Even when considering murder and death the girls would maintain a positive, contented mood, as if nothing could faze them.Manson did not just use words to bring about total obedience however. One thirteen-year-old girl was not considered submissive e nough for Manson so he, punched her in the mouth kicked her across a room hit her over the head with a chair leg, (p. 277). This was not entirely typical of Manson though as his favorite weapons of control consisted of using or withholding sex (especially with the male Family members), as well as drug- aid manipulation. LSD is a hallucinogenic drug which can make the one taking it more susceptible to outside influence.Manson used this home to, instill his philosophies, exploit weaknesses and fears, and extract promises and agreements from his followers, (p. 318) while they were tripping on LSD (which he provided of course). Mansons religion that he would con his followers into believing was base on a mixture of Scientology, passages from the Bible, Buddhism and records by the Beatles. While it is difficult to decipher exactly how this philosophy all fit together, one important element that aided in the control of the Family was fear.According to Manson, fear was the same thing as awareness, (p. 319) and the goal (as in many religions or philosophies) is to gain more awareness, or to come into the Now, which is a term taken from Scientologists and basically means to truly live in the moment. Manson told Family members that they should always be afraid, and he would search out his followers great fears so that he could use these fears, like a magic buttonhe could push at will to control that person, (p. 319).This aspect of the Manson cult is so important to understand because it explains why Manson had such a strong following. Even though many of his Family members were afraid of him, Manson told them that they wanted to be afraid so they took it as a good thing. Another important aspect of Mansons beliefs that is very important for understanding the murders he would later commit was his interpretation of a chapter in the Bible from Revelations. Revelations tells of the four horsemen of the apocalypse who were foretold to arrive on earth to bring about a war where a ternion of mankind would perish.Manson believed that these four horsemen were the Beatles quiver group, and therefore the apocalypse was happening soon if not immediately. Manson believed there was going to be a race war (blacks vs. whites) in which the whites would be wiped out (the third of mankind that will perish) and the only way to escape it was to hide out in the desert where he could later return with his Family where they would rule over the rest blacks as the master race. The murders that Manson and his followers committed were meant to spark this race war, and move Mansons plan into action.Although this sounds quite unbelievable, the combination of LCD, naivete (some of the Family members were fed these theories since they were thirteen), and the time plosive speech sound allowed Manson to assemble quite a sizable group. While it is estimated that there may have been over a hundred Family members at various times, the inner overlap remained at around 20-30 p eople (p. 186). The Family was Mansons greatest creation. While previously Manson could only abuse one or two people at a time, he found a way to simultaneously abuse dozens of people all without the knowledge of society as a whole.A lap of research has been done in the field of interpersonal violence since the time of the Manson murders. There are more accepted theories explaining why people commit acts of interpersonal violence and there are more tested methods of how to recognize people or situations that may become abusive. It is clear just how far things have progressed when the ease of which Charles Manson is labeled as the monster he is and the multiple warning signs that appear when looking at his life and personality.Many of Mansons personality traits match with those suggested by Rosenbaum, Pagelow and/or Anderson, including violence in family of origin, (although there is no explicit information about physical abuse, Manson was neglected and rejected by his mother) low self esteem, (Manson had a drive to be recognized by others) traditionalist, authoritarian personalities, need for power or control (the way Manson ran his Family is clear evidence of this) as well as moody, (mentioned in institutional personality checks of Manson) and psychopathology, (Wallace, Roberson, p. 22 Table 9. 1).Although there is no single accepted checklist for traits of an abuser, Manson would be identified as an abuser using three different (though overlapping) scales. If these types of measurements had been available in Mansons early years, he may have been discovered and possibly could have been treated when he was 19 (when he abused his first wife) instead of being released from prison after a few short years with no rehabilitation and allowed to continue his patterns of abuse.The tactics Manson used to control the Family are also very well documented in todays research of intimate partner abuse. For example, three main elements in any abuse situation are fear, isol ation and lack of resources (Wallace, Roberson, p. 225). Mansons religion was based on making his followers as afraid as workable, and having an intimate knowledge of each members fears so that they could be used against them when needed.While many of the Family members appeared to radiate inner contentment, there were several designer members of the Family that testified in the Manson case that would talk about how afraid they were of what Manson would do to them if they disobeyed his commands. Isolation was obviously an important part of Mansons philosophy as he was very against the establishment and saw the apocalypse fast approaching therefore he took his family to the desert and for most of the time the Family was together they lived on Spahns ranch, which was an old westerly movie set that had allen into disrepair.Once in this isolated location Manson had free reign to manipulate and abuse his followers with no one to stop him. drop of resources could be said to apply to a ll the members of the Family as they were living the hippie lifestyle with no real employment prospects. However, this is important when considering that very few of the Family members go away Manson, especially his inner circle. Although Manson might have been abusive and geting in many ways, he appeared to have a plan and an answer for lifes hardened apparent movements.With no better prospects and no real way to successfully fend for themselves, it is no surprise that many of the women especially did not leave (they were taught they were only good as their man after all what would they do with no man? ). With more knowledge about what can cause abusive situations as well as increased awareness among the general population I am hopeful that a situation like the one that developed in the calcium desert will not happen again, and if it does hopefully it will be quickly identified and shut down.Sexual assault is a common broker in many of the different topics in interpersonal v iolence including rape, intimate partner abuse and child abuse. There is evidence that Manson participated in all of these facets of sexual assault. Although Ive already mentioned how he has raped (Beth in 1959) and used sex as a means of control (with the female Family members), he also diligent in child sexual abuse.One thirteen year old girl was sodomized by Manson as other Family members looked on as part of her generalization (p. 18). Mansons motives for sexual assault are easy to match up with the category of power rape given in Wallace and Robersons text book on family violence. Power rapes (specifically power-assertive rapists) consider rape as, an expression of his virility, mastery and dominance, (p. 342). Clearly Manson desired attention, obedience and wanted control over his victims, that being the same way he ran his Family. By controlling what others did sexually Manson was able to feel in control of them.Clearly Manson was not interested in his followers as people, but merely puppets from which he could get what he wanted. When considering the scope of the spiritual abuse that Manson perpetrated on his followers, it is important to consider his authoritarian personality and his need for attention and control. Mansons philosophy was all there was for the Family there was no adding elements to it or frame inting a personal spin on the information. As one Family member put it, everything was done at Charlies direction, (p. 317).Therefore, when examining some of the questions Wallace and Robersons book offer as means of determining if a religious group is abusive, the answers to them are uniformly no. For example, Does the group allow for development in theological beliefs? Does the group foster relationships and connections with the larger society that are more than self-serving? or the question most indicative of the abusive situation happening at Spahn ranch, Does the group encourage independent thinking and the development of discernment s kills? (Wallace and Roberson, p. 327).While Manson did not demand any of his followers kill themselves as is the pattern in many cults, his motives were just as sinister. Mansons goal was to survive the apocalypse to be the leader of the master white race. With the help of his Family Manson wanted to go from the leader of 30-40 hippies to the leader of the whole world. Luckily his means of obtaining this goal were not as shocking as the goal itself and eventually landed him in jail, far away from impressionable minds to warp and twist.Charles Manson is an interesting man in that he offers us the opportunity to see how a human being can transform himself into an animalistic monster if society turns a blind eye. Even though Manson proved from an early age that he was violent and had no respect for authority or law, he was repeatedly let out to wreak havoc on society. Charles Mansons masterpiece was a sadistic, brainwashing cult which twisted the minds of dozens of young people, made them experiences the horror of abuse, physical, emotional and sexual, and finally ended in the deaths of at least nine people.What Manson really gives us is a reason to continue the fight against interpersonal violence. As a society we must never again allow such a person to freely exist among us. People with these types of violent tendencies must be identified, understand and if at all possible, rehabilitated. If rehabilitation is not possible then the proper steps must be taken to ensure that such an abusive person is never allowed access to another victim.While people often think that interpersonal violence isnt their problem because they havent personally experienced it, Charles Manson shows just how ignorant this opinion is. While Manson may have been someone elses problem before he started the family, it was still one man that shocked and frightened an entire state, and made the entire earth take notice. With our increased understanding we now that the ability to fight to in sure that nothing like the Manson Family will be allowed to exist unchecked again.