The harm in Manson?s expression comes indirectly to most. Teenagers such as Harris or Klebold who would interpret messages in music and entertainment negatively are where problems start to arise. Manson does preach two things, drugs and sex which can easily lead to greater problems should a person interpret his music?s message incorrectly. ?I am the god of f$#%, I am the god of f#$%/Virgins sold by quantity, herded by heredity /Who says date rape isn’t kind.? (Cake and Sodomy) Manson sings. It is this kind of lyrics which would cause problems if an action were taken according to the message. However, those particular lyrics come from an older not well-known song of Manson?s and luckily, no real crimes of rape have occurred because of them. (Humphrey, Fort Worth Weekly)
It is given that Marilyn Manson has done dishonorable things, but he has self-confessed this to the world. ?I?m such a dirty Rock Star, yeah,? (Deformography, CD) Manson sings in his song Deformography, a song about his transition from a nobody into a Rock Star. People, who listen to him, listen because they find him intriguing in that he speaks his mind against common concrete beliefs.
Although Manson does has done immoral things, sings about sex, drugs and the antichrist, there are bands and people out there who are much worst than him. If America is complaining about morals and ethics, it should first worry about whom it selects as President, because he has not shown to have much stronger morals than Manson. Manson chooses to convey himself to the world openly, which is why he receives so much negative publicity. This negative publicity is publicity either way, and that means Manson is getting attention, which is what he wants. If people who dislike him were to utterly ignore him, there would be no controversy over his religious and moral position or whether he was influencing teenagers to become delinquents.
The bottom line is, Marilyn Manson is an entertainer like all other entertainers, and although he chooses to articulate himself in an out of the ordinary fashion, he is still protected by the First Amendment. The boundaries of what exactly the Amendment allows and does not allow is a major controversy and which will never be solved because the Amendment allows for so much difference in interpretation. Just like every belief of Manson?s is open for interpretation as can be seen with the different viewpoints of parents and an older generation compared to the views of teenagers and ?generation X?. The freedom of speech, press and religion granted by the First Amendment should benefit those who do not like Manson as much as those who do. Those who dislike him do not have to listen to him or acknowledge him, and those who admire him will experience a plethora of bizarre ideas and antics. Perhaps no one can sum up Manson better than himself; ?F$#% all your protests and put them to bed.? (Rock is Dead)
Bibliography
CDs, lyrics, rollingstone.com