True Crime

Today marks the 41st anniversary of the discovery of the slain actress Sharon Tate and 4 friends. Accused, tried and convicted of the crimes (among others) was the 'cult' known as "The Manson Family" headed by Charles Manson.

These dreadful acts occurred I was 5, I was unaware of its happenings until I was visiting with my cousin at her home in Mass as a teen. My cousin showed me a book called Helter Skelter. I was shocked at the pictures in the middle of the book. Pictures of the scene of the crime. I was hooked.


I was enthralled with the crime, the why, and the outcomes. The victims and the murderers were both intriguing to me. I think, had I had the right fire under me, the spark of the true crime stories I read, may have pushed me into psychology in school. Apparently, the spark and the flame never met at the right time.

As a kid, maybe we were sheltered from the bad things in life. I remember stranger danger and don't eat the Halloween goodies until you got home so the parents could check it first. But of murders and things like the Manson Family just weren't there.

I do remember one story of two sisters that were abducted just a few miles from our house. We heard the story and pretty much  chalked it up to "don't hitchhike". A cousin was killed while walking home. I remember the story as an accidental hit and run. I found out recently, that it is an unsolved murder. I wonder if the shielding from violence was an intentional thing that my parents did, or, were there really not that many violent things back then?

The games the kids play these days on the computer and game stations are so violent as seen through my eyes. But through theirs, it is just graphics. Is it? Or, these games just dulling the nerves of children today to buffer the possible unending violence of the future.

I think I like the way I grew up, naive then and aghast now rather than blase now and in the future of many growing up today.