CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Charles Manson: All-American

Boyd Rice (right) and a man who only identified himself as “White” protesting for Charles Manson after he was denied parole – Public Domain

Charles Manson was an archetypal American in a manner similar to Donald Trump. Both men convince(d) others to do things against their better sense, moral training and counter to their own interests. The particular charisma Manson and Trump project is one that is based in the amplification of people’s fears while creating an illusion of their difference. Charles Manson was considered above conventional morality and something of a demigod by his followers and supporters; Donald Trump is placed above the law by his followers, with some genuinely believing he is a prophet and spiritual figure placed in the White House for godly purposes. More to the point, both men are sociopaths with minimal regard for the rest of humanity. Although Manson seemed to consider money only as a means to an end, Trump’s obsession with money borders on worship. Both enjoy(ed) and manipulate(d) power.

In a new book titled Love and Terror: The Helter-Skelter History of the Manson Murders, the author Claudia Verhoeven expands the above comparison to Trump to include much of the entire culture of the United States. Indeed, she makes a convincing argument that Manson is the USA, just like Nixon, Trump, rock and roll, and Hollywood are; not all of its culture, but as much a part of it as influenced by it. Ignorant and brash, insightful and confused, religious and blasphemous. It’s a bold statement that has more than a kernel of truth in it. After all, Manson was not the first or the last US resident to use the nation’s foundation in white supremacy to further his........

© CounterPunch