Marilyn Manson

Added on 11-19-07; author: Sengir Seraph



Just about since the beginning of his music career, Marilyn Manson has been a very controversial topic. Christians despise him because of what he represents, not to mention his position as a respected reverend of the Church of Satan. Even many members of the gothic subculture dislike Manson, to the point of labeling poseur goths 'spooky kids'. Marilyn Manson had such a huge fan following that adolescent kids all over the world began dressing and wearing make-up to look like him, creating the term 'Mansonite'. These are but a few things that have defiled the reputation of a very intelligent, moral individual.

"It's the whole Nietzche philosophy of you are your own God. That's why I debase myself in the concerts and tell people to spit on me. I'm saying to them 'You are no different from me'."
- Marilyn Manson

Anyone who's read Manson's autobiography should know that he's a very observant, wise man. He doesn't conform to societal norms, which establishes free-think and creativity. The general population tend to fear change, and that fear leads to hate of anything that's not commonly accepted in society. Because of brutal honesty expressed within his music, Manson's been accused of being responsible for the tragedy at Columbine -- this still stands, although there's proof that neither of the killers were fans of the man.

"We live in a society of victimization, where people are much more comfortable being victimized than actually standing up for themselves."
- Marilyn Manson

Do I enjoy Manson's music? Quite a bit of it, in fact -- but this has little to do with why I like the man. He's not afraid to tell people what he thinks. I'd wager that most people's career would end pretty abruptly if they were accused of being responsible for mass murder. Not Marilyn Manson, though... he's secure enough in his own skin that he doesn't need anyone's support to be who he is, who he wants to be. This is something that many people could do well to learn from.

"Anybody intelligent enough to realize what America is, is not going to sit around and do nothing about it. They're going to be the same way that I am. They're going to be the same way our fans are. They're going to be pissed."
- Marilyn Manson

Not only does Marilyn Manson, the man and the band, represent the complete spectrum of love and hate between Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson, but he's turned it into an art form -- throughout his career, he's shifted constantly between 'glam' and 'gothic' in his attire, personifying the darkness and the light, so to speak. Although he's pretty humble in his self-unveiling of his art, I believe the man to be an accomplished painter. If you take the time to look at his paintings, if you question them and wonder what they represent, you'll find much more than paint randomly splotched together on canvas.

The man, in my opinion, is a genius, and deserves acclaim. At the very least, he deserves not to be constantly criticized. America was built on principles such as the freedom of expression, speech, etc., and Marilyn Manson exemplifies that freedom near to perfection. Take all the media and society-driven bullshit from your head, throw it out, and do a little research on the man with an open mind. You might be surprised what you find.

"Marilyn Monroe wasn't even her real name, Charles Manson isn't his real name, and now, I'm taking that to be my real name. But what's real? You can't find the truth, you just pick the lie you like the best." - Marilyn Manson