The power of manipulation.

I'm not saying hippies are dangerous, but I just watched the greatest Helter Skelter documentary EVER on Netflix and I'm now much happier that I won't be moving into *that* environment. A place with a high concentration of neo-hippies, that is.

The title is "Six Degrees of Helter Skelter," which I thought I'd seen before. It's a very well made, non-discriminant toward either side crime documentary. The director and narrator named Michael Dorsey covered a play by play of exactly what happened on the night of the horrendous Sharon Tate murder as well as the LaBianca murders. He took us to the many locations of the events that took place that night, whether they're still in tact today as they were in the late 60's or otherwise. I feel like even if I knew a lot about these cases, I didn't actually get the truth sans the glamorization until watching this documentary.

Because honestly, even if Helter Skelter the book they barely describe the interactions between the residents of the Tate house the night of the murders, such as the important detail that there was no party at the Tate residence that night. Actually, Sharon had wanted to go home because she was so cranky that night and wanted everyone to leave. Sebring was talking to her in the back room near their fireplace when the commotion had started. Such a good documentary, I'd highly recommend watching it if you get a chance.

The case is so infamous and fascinating to me because it marks the end of the hippie movement. Living free and the innocence behind it was dead because of some streetwise, manipulative criminal that had been in jail most of his life before coming out into the Height Ashbury district. The setting was set perfectly for Manson, who wasn't really a hippie himself but did have access to drugs and minor Hollywood connections. He wasn't a very good musician, but the drugs he gave these kids made them fall for his ideology.

I can't help but think more about their lives at Spahn ranch before the murders. Before Manson had the teens completely under his spell and convinced of the impending "race war," I'm sure they had to of had a great time. Patricia Kremwinkel actually explained in one of her interviews that Charlie had let them live in this fantasy world, more or less, at the ranch. They would pretend and "Escape time," because Manson taught them that time was invented by man and they had to escape it to be free.

At the beginning they were living on Spahn Ranch playing pirates, running around on drugs and spending time down by the creeks at night. I will not lie and say that doesn't sound like fun and I think many young adults, even today, would take up an opportunity to experience this. Insecure young people that don't know where they are going in life are probably the most easily manipulated people I can think of. They wanted to stand for something, not work like their boring parents, be free. It's all very understandable. So I don't like how in the mainstream media the Manson children are oftentimes portrayed as this psycho cult from the get-go. It really wasn't. 

These kids were experiencing a sense of self from Charlie. They knew that without Charlie this lifestyle would end and they didn't want to go back to their boring lives with their parents. The recipe for manipulation is to have one person that gives another person something they want, which in this case for the kids was acceptance and a "Family." Because Manson was the leader of this, they were willing to do whatever they had to do to continue living this lifestyle and follow this ideology, even if it meant killing many innocent people. 

I feel the power of manipulation comes from emotional intelligence. Though I don't consider myself a manipulative person per se, I am not easily manipulated myself because I understand how it works. If someone has something that you want or if a person has something they could take away from you at any second, they have power to manipulate you. The more this manipulator gives to it's subjects, the more the subject becomes likely to do what the dictator tells him or her to do. To understand this really is the best way  to be freed from most manipulators in your life, and it's unfortunate that because this exists it's almost certain that some sketchy soul like Charles Manson will again rise to the surface and dictate a bunch of young people for their benefit. 

That's all I really have to talk about. It's 2:00 PM, had to pick up my Mom from Enterprise car rental and I've already practiced for two hours. I might be seeing Koty Cline today and we're going to jam for awhiile. He could be a lot better than me, I have no idea, but I now feel I can hold my own enough to not make an ass of myself. Who knows if he'll be able too actually do it though. I could use a friend over, I'm a little bored. I'm probably going to mess with guitar pro for the next hour (or until Koty texts). If he doesn't text I'll play the Sims. No, maybe I'll play the sims first to give my hand a rest. I might even make a knock off hippie family. 

My mind is interesting.

peace.