Cannibalism

Cannibalism. Dictionary.com has a few meanings for cannibalism:
1. the eating of human flesh by another human being.
2. the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of its own kind.
3. the ceremonial eating of human flesh or parts of the human body for magical or religious purposes, as to acquire the power or skill of a person recently killed.
4. the act of pecking flesh from a live fowl by a member of the same flock.
5. the removal of parts, equipment, assets, or employees from one product, item, or business in order to use them in another.
6. the acquisition and absorption of smaller companies by a large corporation or conglomerate.


As said, cannibalism is basically the consumption of flesh from one species by a member of the same species. Many people veiw it as a horrid thing to do, especially in the case of us humans. But, what really is cannibalism and where did it come from? People say that there are no cannibals anymore, whether it be in the good ol US or to Japan to Germany to Australia. But, cannibalism still exists, not just humans can be cannibals, as said. Which leads me to wonder if cannibalism is so wrong, so taboo and completely extreme like we say. Other animals eat their own kin, whether by hunting or scavenging, so is it really so wrong as human beings to consume the flesh of another person?

Which leads to the arguemwent that we are greater beings and know better. So that leads us to a whole other story. Since we no longer need to kill each other to survive, canniballism is considered barbaric and a complete act agaisnt humans that is up there with homocide. But, is it really all beastly if you wait until the relative dies? In Africa, their religious teachings of some more isolated tribes that honor their dead by eating them and then touching their brain in symbol as them inheriting their ancestor's strength. Yet, as always, eating people who died is unwise, too. Diseases are easily contracted this way, as has been the case.

So where did cannibalism start from in humans? It's always been there in animals, for the need to feed-to survive-knows no species. So, it could have happend back then, as a sort of surviva technique.

Acorrding to some sites and documentaries, later in time (for it most likely happend during very early days of mankind) it stared from human sacrifice.

In some parts of Asia it is still practiced. Their god is a warrior goddes whose spirit is thirsty for bloo and battle and requires sacrifices much like the Aztecs of central America. There are laws agaisnt it in Asia, but reports of huma sacrifices are reported almost monthly in some areas.

In Australia, it was believed that parts of the human body could be eaten to give strenght, knowledge or wisdom from the enemy or an ally that was eaten. thus warriors often ate their conquered foes. PArents would kill their youngest child and eed it to their elder, or eat it themselves for youth and vitality. Yet, now there are few reports of cannibalism in Australia.

In Europe it was used to protect houses and people aganst evil, storms, or curses. children were taken from their mothers for the soul purpose of being sacrificed.

So, to you, what is cannibalism? Is it good or bad, what are your veiws of it? What do you consider cannibalism? Would you ever eat another human if you were hungry? What's the verdict on this topic. What is a canibal to you, and what is cannibalism?

 

In the civilized world, cannibalism (the eating human flesh by another human) is crazy and it's just imoral, I think it's a bad thing... but, there are tribes that are still isolated from the rest of the world that still do this kind of things, but they do it for another purpose (your 3rd definition, Kurai).

Anyways, there are known cases that ppl had plane accidents and they ate their friends (that must've been very hard for them) in order to survive. Also, they did this as a measure of last resort. I, for one, don't know if i could be able to do that. As for, what is a cannibal to me? If it's about a human in the civilized world, the answer is very simple: for me, he is simply a savage animal, not a human beign. Period.

 

I agree. I would never eat another human unless in a dire situation. If I had no other way to survive, and we were all going to die anyway. It is a barbaric act, as to my knowledge and I think it's a horrid practice and humans were right to abandon it.

 

I saw this title and laughed so much, in a.. wtf, sorta manner..

Anyway, yeah cannibalism disgusts me >.>, i would never eat someone else, perhaps if i was stuck on an island with NO other alternative, and they were dead.

Think the majority of anwsers to this thread will be quite obvious

 

Manflesh good. Me eat people. Fee fi fo fum I smell the blood of an Englishman.

Yeah... I just had to do that.

 

Well you never know Babmer, some people here could be cannibals xD

 

hmmm fresh meat!! juicy, raww... lol

I was quite scared with kurai resolving for cannibalism as a last means of survival lol, i just dont want to be 100 meter near from you if we were trapped inside a building like those showed on the movie of Nicholas cage 911 tragedy ^_^ ........... beware (dont take it seriously lol) . No one knows how much animal instinct there is in our blood!

 

i cant view cannibalism as moral or immoral, as it is just the act of consuming flesh of our own specie, for it can mean live or death, the part of it that i allow myself to view as moral or immoral is the reason behind why the person or people decided to resort to cannibalism.

 

Personally, I view cannibalism as simply giving into our baser desires, nothing moral or immoral about it, like Lurker said. It when you kill someone to eat them when it becomes judgemental.

Funny fact though. Some might argue, using what I said as a basis, that once they're dead, it's ok. But due to our lifestyles (Poor eating habits, no exercise, so on and so forth), our bodies actually rot and spoil far faster than most other forms of meat.

 

Indeed. Eating human flesh is unhealthy in general. It's still weird to me why we just decided to say "Screw it, eating humans is unnaceptable." we probably learned better as a species, but you're right. It's basic animal survival, and if need be, people tend to eat almost anything.

 

i would eat human flesh if it was part of the culture(though i wouldnt hunt humans, and i want it cooked), i am quite open-minded about this stuff

 

I couldn't eat humans for the simple fact it'd disgust me xD
I can't rightfully and with a clear head even think of eating another human.

 

I don't think eating another human is wrong. Killing them for no good reason (survival, they are killing others etc) is wrong though.

I think the reason it is taboo in many cultures is the same reason associating with the dead was taboo: The unconcious realization that dead humans hold a great risk of disease and eating the flesh of your own spiecies increases that risk greatly. In fact some diseases can only be contracted through cannabalism.

 

Where did you get that from? Sure our flesh rots faster than most things but if the person is killed and then prepared or frozen straight away then I don't see any risk at all. Even if we have more inedible mass than animals, they can be cut out. There are several examples of the majority of the animal being thrown out for a small part of its body to be eaten.

Cannibalism is only immoral because we were brought up in such a society. Eating any kind of meat could be immoral given the appropriate society. Same goes for vegetables or fruits. The point is that the dos and don'ts of a society are completely arbitrary, which is why I feel neutral about cannibalism.

 

Becaue of that kuvasz. In africa where some places still practice it, people contract diseases. Of course, the same happens to any animal. If an animal dies of disease it can give other things to another animal. It easily carries diseases.

 

That's not necessarily true. You could only get such diseases if they had them in the first place. And most of them (for us anyways) are diseases that can also be contracted through blood transfusions, needle sharing, bodily fluids, etc. Of course, if you start taking the indigenous cannibals into account, they're going to get diseases non-cannibals don't, because they live in an area that is prone to the disease, not to mention medical care and hygiene.

 

And where hygiene is neglected (~people you're referring to) people contract diseases from eating animals so what's your point?
Human flesh is no dirtier than the flesh of any other vertebrate life form. Both can be a sack of pestilence and as clean as a baby's bottom.

 

and how clean is that, i wonder?

 

Cannibalism in the animal world is usually the result of two situations - the aftermath of a fight for territory, where the winner doesn't feel like passing up a meal that's right in front of him, OR when the animal is suffering from starvation, when suitable prey is not available or not cost-effective to try and obtain. Personally, I would only cannibalize if I were in a survival situation and the person was dead or dying.

 

I bet some of you already know about this.. but somewhere in china a fetus is a rare deilicacy, bwoooaaahhh.... anyway what are your thoughts about it with them considering it as a common practice? And also correlate it with ethics as china is overpopulated and does that mean that its ethical to do it anway for the benefit of mankind.

TRIVIA: if all of the chinese in china jumps at the same time, the effect will be an earthquake to the opposite country of china (check the globe to see which are the possible victims)