Society points guns and finger
Society points guns and fingerSociety Points Guns and Fingers
A few months ago, in Littleton, CO, two students performed a heinous massacre at their high school. Incidents like these seem to be on the rise, and naturally, people are looking for answers. And too often, fingers are pointed at rocker Marilyn Manson. Marilyn Manson’s music takes a look at himself and our culture. It often questions the values of American Christianity. It is often angry about the state of the world as he sees
it. It does NOT advocate murder. It does not advocate violence. It advocates honesty. Marilyn Manson is not to blame for tragedies such as the one at Littleton. Instead, a look at what may be wrong with our family structure, our systems of education, or our selves would be more appropriate.
The murderers from Littleton were into “gothic” music such as Marilyn Manson. They wore black, and were outcasts in their school. So What?. So did I. But I DIDN’T KILL ANYONE. The common “goth” kid usually is looking for a group to fit in. They don’t particularly like the activities that the ‘athletic’ kids take part of (namely drinking heavily after games and beating each other to a pulp). These kids are looking for more out of life. Many are artists - musicians, poets, or actors. What artist doesn’t stray a bit from the norm? Is there anything wrong with that? I don’t think so. The “gothic” people that I have met are not violent. In fact, violence is one of the reasons that these kids have chosen to exclude themselves from the other activities. Most of these kids are peaceful and are openly loving of each other.
When a closer look is taken at the Littleton Killers, we learn that they were heavily into Nazism and guns. Nowhere in Manson’s music does he advocate Nazi beliefs or weaponry. When a child is involved with these activities, the responsibility comes down upon the community and the parents. It is hard being a parent of a teenager. A parent may not understand why their kid has been acting differently. But it is the parents’ responsibility to be involved in their children’s lives. When the parents fall short, the responsibility lays upon the shoulders of the rest of the community. There were reports that other children in the school knew of the activities of these kids. They were making pipe bombs and using them in the community well before they decided to bring them into the school and murder their classmates. These are not normal activities of a sane human being. Music does not turn a sane human being into a murderer, no matter how loud it is.
Manson’s music is criticized for being to violent and vulgar. Manson protesters have called his music Satanic and have labeled him as the Antichrist (Manson claims he is the “all-American Antichrist” in his album “Antichrist Superstar”, referring to his goal to bring down American Christianity for it’s hypocrisy). Manson is an ordained minister of the Church of Satan. His view of Satanism, however, values a Nietzchean sense of an inner God and individuality. When he talks about destruction, he is speaking of a movement against the sheep-herd mentality of modern religion. He uses the word Satan to refer to our dark side, which he believes is just as much a part of us as our
light side.
“The balance between good and evil and the choices we make between
them, are probably the single most important aspects shaping our
personalities and humanity ... Marilyn Monroe had a dark side just as
Charles Manson has a good, intelligent side.”
- Manson, from his book The Long Hard Road out of Hell
Anti-Manson protesters also report that his shows have involved the abuse of animals and women. These claims have no substance, as they are usually a gross abomination of facts. Whenever Manson comes up with a shocking tactic for attention, the report from Christians is usually even sicker than any action even he could contrive. These practices both amuse and anger Manson. Most importantly, they act as fuel to his anti-Christian fire.
Most recently, Manson has released his latest video for a song called “Coma White.” The song contains a clip of Manson himself acting out the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The reaction from the finger-pointers: negative, of course. They accuse him of being disrespectful and mocking the tragic death.
"Over six months ago I filmed a video for the song 'Coma White,' in which
I enact the 'Journey of Death.' This is a pageant where I used the
assassination of JFK as a metaphor for America's obsession and worship of
violence. My statement was always intended to make people think of how they
view, and sometimes, participate in these events. Little did I know that the
tragedy at Columbine and the accidental death of JFK, Jr. would follow. But
it was telling to see the media shamelessly gorge itself on these events,
which ultimately made my observations in the video even truer than I had
originally imagined. This video is inspired by my script 'Holywood' and it
is in no way a mockery. In fact, it is a tribute to men like Jesus Christ
and JFK who have died at the hands of mankind's unquenchable thirst for
violence."
-Manson, from his website
Manson’s music may be angry, anti-Christian, vulgar, and down right unpleasant to some. But this music is not to blame for violence. The music is more of a report on violence. And Manson does not support these acts either. In fact, he canceled the final shows of his tour out of respect for the murdered children. In his press release concerning the events, he stated
“People are trying to sort out what happened and to deal with their losses.
It’s not a great atmosphere to be out playing rock shows, for us or the
fans. It’s tragic and disgusting anytime young peoples’ lives are taken in
an act of senseless violence. My condolences go out to the students and
their families.”
He also took a moment to comment on the finger-pointing of the conservative
activists. “The media has unfairly scapegoated the music industry and so-called Goth kids, and has speculated - with no basis in truth - that artists like myself are in some way to blame. This tragedy was a product of ignorance, hatred, and an access to guns.”
Manson is a human being. Recently, he has developed a fresh look on life. His lifestyle over the past few years had been very unhealthy and filled with too much anger. His latest album reflects changes in his character. “Making ‘Mechanical Animals’ was, for me, like stepping foot in the world for the first time. I felt very vulnerable. I got involved in a relationship and fell in love, I think for the first time. And I started to feel
empathy for other people. It wasn't so much I found God. I just found the balance I'd always preached about.” Manson has developed a relationship with movie actress Rose McGowan, and he supports his parents, whom are unable to work because of a car accident.
Are these the actions of an evil man who would support the meaningless murders of innocent children? I think not. We need to look past the differences in clothing or looks of our peers. We need to look past our differences in interest or opinion. And we need to look past using Marilyn Manson as a scapegoat for his looks and opinions. Looks and opinions, even extreme vulgarity, don’t cause death. The real blame lies somewhere within Littleton, Colorado.