Last week, I woke up one morning and on CNN was an article on Marilyn Manson’s last single, and especially on the music video he directed for it. The song is called “Running to the edge of the World”, where he is seen violently beating his supposed girlfriend at the end of the video.
Critiques were outraged, and comments reproachful. According to them, the video was an encouragement to domestic abuse and violence. However, in the society we live in, they should know better than that.
Provocation. What better way to get public attention than to shock people? Marilyn Manson is the number one proof that by provoking individuals, you definitely get them talking. He is known for numerous videos, live performances, and lyrics that are shocking and repulsive, sometimes even morbid and bloody. However, by developing this style, he has been able to make people curious about his music, and whether the feedback is positive or negative, it has still boosted his career more than ever.
There are some things that must be seen and understood as fake. If you can go watch a horror movie or listen to music that is based solely on women, nice cars, and money, that is the exact same thing. Artists try to reach their audience and beyond by shocking them. Madonna, in her time, was the symbol of provocation, singing about Jesus Christ while using sex symbols at the same time.
I laughed when I saw the outraged comments about Manson. There are many things that shock me way more than fake blood and pretend punches. It was also funny to see the responses from the Manson fans, claiming that the critiques “had no idea what the lyrics meant” and that “revenge in the form of violence is the ultimate metaphor for a broken heart”. Faced with provoking acts like this one, an individual should be able to recognize that it is done just for publicity and public outrage. It is only by reacting to it that this technique actually works to perfection.
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