Why all members of the family followed Manson is both the crimes and the threats in the courtrooms

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The Manson Family Violence
When it comes to social problems, violence ranks high among the most prevalent social problems that affect the society. It always starts as a strong ideological opposition to some idea or ideas, then turns into something more physical between individuals or groups of individuals. The demographic or multicultural differences within the society essentially mean that there can be various types of violence, from spousal to racial. Violence is a phenomenon that the society has been experiencing at an exponentially high rate. Throughout the history of mankind, people have recorded different forms of violence, most of which ended up in the death of the victims (Gilligan 1149). Genocide, homicide, murders, robberies, suicide and wars are just among the different forms of violence that the world known today. The people who are usually labelled as being the propagators of these crimes vary from children, teens, individual adults or groups of people. One of the renowned gangs which did not spare a second before exhibiting their violence was The Manson Family, shortly referred to as The Family (Bugliosi 332).
Charles Manson created The Family in the late 1960 and led it up to early 1970s when most of its members got arrested. The gang consisted on 100 members who were casual and 30 who were core members (King 3). Many of these members were young women who were hypnotized by his religious teachings on Scientology. They were largely involved in prostitution, whoredom, and drug addiction among many other social vices before they met Manson (Dubrow-Marshall 7). Due to the promise of communal living and desire for power and fame, these young women and men followed Manson and devoted themselves to following his orders to the extent of killing other people (Gilligan 1149). Among their famous violent activities was the Tate murder in which they killed five people in one night. This essay seeks to affirm the fact that the members of the Family followed Manson because of many different factors and not necessarily because of the crimes and threats in the courtroom.
First, the psychopathy of Manson made his followers to follow him readily. The genesis of any murderous cult is always based on the psychopathic conditioning of its leader combined with a particular love for something, especially music, literature or art (Gilligan 1149). His clarity in articulation was quite exemplary and somehow attractive to his potential followers, who found it captivating. His deranged nature was camouflaged by his excellence in persuasion. There is also the mystery aspect of it. Upon investigation of their lives before and after getting into the Family, the examiners found that his easy-going and persuasive nature made them to follow him. According to Buglioli’s Helter Skelter (338): “getting this evidence (on Mason’s domination) was especially difficult because Manson rarely gave direct orders. Usually he'd suggest, rather than command, though his suggestions had the force of commands”. With these conditions in place, the members of the Family readily executed their boss’ orders, including murders.
The members of the Manson Family also stuck to him because of the religious teachings which made them to feel special and with a purpose (King 3). According to Susan Atkins, one of the members who took part in the August 1969 murder of actress Susan Tate and four other people in her house, Manson was to them a savior (Bugliosi 338). She says that they considered him as another form of Jesus who had come back to the earth to execute judgment through a global racial war which he labelled “Helter-Skelter”, and they were among the chosen ones who were needed to start the war (Dubrow-Marshall 7). Bugliosi further record that: “Judgment Day. Echoing Manson, the girls waiting outside on the corner spoke of it in conspiratorial whispers. "Wait till Judgment Day. That's when Helter Skelter will really come down"” (Bugliosi 583). The fulfilment of his predictions made them to follow him even more. This was generally what Manson had envisioned all along; the need to create an aura of mystery around himself. Such an aura would go a long way in automatically convincing the followers and any potential follower, of his divine abilities.
Another factor that made the Family members to follow Manson was their need for respect and good treatment, which Manson showed them (Gilligan 1149). When Bugliosi carried out a thorough study during the trial of the Family members, he discovered interesting facts concerning the psychology behind violence. For example, when dealing with his gang, “Manson rarely gave direct orders. Usually he'd suggest, rather than command, though his suggestions had the force of commands” (Bugliosi 338). These facts began from Manson’s childhood in which he was largely involved in petty crimes, a factor that made him to be arrested many times and imprisoned in juvenile jails. It was during one of these sentences in 1949 at the age of 13 years, that he was detained at Indiana Boys School where he was sexually assaulted and abused, a form of disrespect that placed him at a position where he could empathize with people who passed through such situations (Norman 26). With most of his followers being prostitutes and drug addicts, Manson found it easy to ‘empathize’ with them thus, winning their trust. In addition, Bugliosi reports that he never commanded his subordinates but rather, made requests to them; which made them to see him as a humble and respectful leader (Bugliosi 338).
Manson also had a domina...