Jiya Kohar Week 3: Susan to Sadie: Rebranding Gone Wrong
Charles Manson never killed Sharon Tate or Leno LaBianca. He never wrote “Death to Pigs” in blood. And yet, those murders are what he’s remembered for today. So while he didn’t physically commit the murders, his influence did the job for him, especially when his followers were high out of their minds on LSD (most of the time).
The Manson “Family” wasn’t really ever a family. It was mostly a group of young, lost kids under the influence of a freak of a man who thought he was God. Most of the kids in the 1960s, just like today, were just hungry for a sense of belonging, and maybe a little rebellion. Charles Manson gave them that, but only after stripping away their original identities. He gave them nicknames like “Tex,” “Sadie,” or “Squeaky.” Once you stop being Susan or Patricia, and turn into “Och” it’s much easier to believe whatever role Manson gives.
The drugs didn’t hurt either (well, unless you count the murders). Manson’s long speeches about “Helter Skelter,” the Beatles, and race, were usually delivered when everyone was high out of their minds. LSD especially is a strong psychedelic, and it’s logically easy to see how the members of the Manson Family cult turned into completely new people. Though using LSD and other drugs doesn’t usually correlate to, you know, mass murder.
And that’s exactly what happened. On August 8, 1969, four of the Family members drove to 10050 Cielo Drive, where they brutally murdered actress Sharon Tate (who was eight months pregnant), Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent. They then proceeded to write “Death to Pigs” in blood on the front door, just in case the dead bodies weren’t a big enough showpiece. The next night, Manson tied up Leno and Rosemary LaBianca before telling his followers to stab them repeatedly. He told them to “make it witchy,” which might be one of the freakiest things I’ve ever heard someone do.
These killings were directed by more than knives or drugs, though. The language Manson used was able to change his followers’ sense of self. He convinced them that violence was part of a larger prophecy and, once they believed their new identity, murder followed.
My question to you: would you have gone along with it? Imagine you’re nineteen in the late ‘60s. You’re a super cool kid whose parents just don’t understand! Then, suddenly you’re offered music, drugs, and a home. Would you take the offer?
Maybe that's why the Manson family is still so unsettling. It wasn’t just the gore. It was how ordinary kids, under the perfect mix of words and drugs, turned into killers. If that could happen in 1969, it could happen today (even if it’s not leading to murder). Today, TikTok trends and online influence deeply change how teenagers specifically act and see themselves. Yes, maybe the stakes are lower, but the need for belonging is still there.
PS: watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The Manson “Family” wasn’t really ever a family. It was mostly a group of young, lost kids under the influence of a freak of a man who thought he was God. Most of the kids in the 1960s, just like today, were just hungry for a sense of belonging, and maybe a little rebellion. Charles Manson gave them that, but only after stripping away their original identities. He gave them nicknames like “Tex,” “Sadie,” or “Squeaky.” Once you stop being Susan or Patricia, and turn into “Och” it’s much easier to believe whatever role Manson gives.
The drugs didn’t hurt either (well, unless you count the murders). Manson’s long speeches about “Helter Skelter,” the Beatles, and race, were usually delivered when everyone was high out of their minds. LSD especially is a strong psychedelic, and it’s logically easy to see how the members of the Manson Family cult turned into completely new people. Though using LSD and other drugs doesn’t usually correlate to, you know, mass murder.
And that’s exactly what happened. On August 8, 1969, four of the Family members drove to 10050 Cielo Drive, where they brutally murdered actress Sharon Tate (who was eight months pregnant), Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent. They then proceeded to write “Death to Pigs” in blood on the front door, just in case the dead bodies weren’t a big enough showpiece. The next night, Manson tied up Leno and Rosemary LaBianca before telling his followers to stab them repeatedly. He told them to “make it witchy,” which might be one of the freakiest things I’ve ever heard someone do.
These killings were directed by more than knives or drugs, though. The language Manson used was able to change his followers’ sense of self. He convinced them that violence was part of a larger prophecy and, once they believed their new identity, murder followed.
My question to you: would you have gone along with it? Imagine you’re nineteen in the late ‘60s. You’re a super cool kid whose parents just don’t understand! Then, suddenly you’re offered music, drugs, and a home. Would you take the offer?
Maybe that's why the Manson family is still so unsettling. It wasn’t just the gore. It was how ordinary kids, under the perfect mix of words and drugs, turned into killers. If that could happen in 1969, it could happen today (even if it’s not leading to murder). Today, TikTok trends and online influence deeply change how teenagers specifically act and see themselves. Yes, maybe the stakes are lower, but the need for belonging is still there.
PS: watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Although this may seem like an odd or unsettling fact, I have always been interested in murderers, probably stemming from the innumerable murder mysteries I have read ever since I was a kid. In fact, against my sister and mom's will, I took them to the Jack the Ripper Museum in London while we were there this summer. It happened to be one of the places that popped out compared to the other sites on the endless list of tourist locations (not that London is boring to me; I love it so much I would definitely like to live there one day). This weird interest in serial killers might also come from an interest in psychology, which I would connect to murderers' minds: What allows them or pushes them to make the choices that they do? You're right: every situation surrounding murderers are unsettling. But that might just be what makes it so interesting. Ordinary people, people who walk the same streets as you and walk into the same coffee shop down the street are hiding this part of them inside all the time. How do they do it?
ReplyDeleteAnswering your question, I probably would not have gone along with any of it, especially because I would like to consider myself smarter than that. A random person offering me drugs? No thanks. Although I might have been frustrated with my parents, I would learn to handle it and focus on myself. Not everyone would have made the same decision that I have, and that's how situations like this occur.
Hi Jiya! This story is really deeply troubling especially when thinking about the political climate in the United States today. From your blog, I can tell that Charles Manson really utilized people’s emotions, especially the sense of belonging to change their identities. It really reminds me of today where in politics, politicians often appeal to shared values even when they are completely lying or telling incorrect information. Everyday, I am worried about people who take advantage of the need, as humans, to be a part of a social group. Charles Manson is a prime example of taking advantage of unassured people and I feel that history repeats itself with the current president. Seeing shocking, and debunked news like how “Tylenol Leads to Autism” and then it is equally shocking seeing how people support the claims so that they can be a part of a “group”. I see this blog as a warning about how history always repeats itself because of our own incompetence. Thank you for this fascinating blog that lets me reflect on modern-day life.
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