By the Decade: Notorious 20th Century American Cults
In this installment, we’ll take a look at the American cults that defined their decade. It’s no coincidence that the cults below share some defining characteristics with the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s, regardless of their own era of origin — many cults “used the language of the counterculture to draw people out of the protests into their own movements,” explains Stephen A. Kent, a sociology professor at the University of Alberta, in the 2016 documentary Deprogrammed. And no one used that language more effectively — or to more horrific ends — than Charles Manson.
1960s: The Manson Family
The Manson Family is infamous for captivating the public consciousness and inspiring fear in the wake of the otherwise idyllic Summer of Love — a spirit as much as a season, one Manson used to attract his followers. The family lived on a ranch outside Los Angeles and moved on the periphery of the city’s music scene. Manson was convinced of his own musical genius and befriended artists like Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys in hopes that he’d be discovered. Through Wilson, Manson met record producer Terry Melcher. Manson’s relationships with both men deteriorated when he felt they didn’t recognize his talent. (Manson also accused Wilson of stealing a song he wrote.) Manson threatened Wilson by giving him a bullet…
