Thursday, 22 July 2010

• Cannibalism: What Hannibal Didn't Tell You

  

  Kind of a weird post to put in "I Really Like Food", I know.  But it's guaranteed to get a lot of views - we all have that stare-at-the-accident complex, whatever it's called.  And besides, in my defense - cannibalism has everything to do with food, for those who practice it; and they probably "really like" it, too. 

  That being said, I looked up whether or not cannibalism is still prominent in humans today - the good news is, it isn't.  Tribal societies have essentially cut their members from their diet all around the world.  The new and increasingly growing problem appears to be, on the contrary, happening in civilized societies.  That's criminal cannibalism.

  The four primary types of criminal cannibalism - wherein murder is a factor, regardless of whether or not permission is actually given by the edible party - are modeled after types of cannibalism to be found in many nonhuman (particularly insect) species.

  These four types are:

  1.  Sexual Cannibalism:  This is a common practice for many insects, spiders, and scorpions.  (Hence: Black Widow - ah, new meaning, right??).  Sexual cannibalism is when a female eats a male after the two of them have done the dirty. 

  

  It has 3 advantages: 

  1) Nutrition - pregnancy and fetal survival becomes likely despite harsh conditions.
  2) Natural Selection - from the male point of view, his own genes are now more likely to survive within the species.
  3) Increased Mating Time - Sperm is being transferred to the egg for longer periods of time.

  It is always considered abnormal, regardless of species, for a male to consume a female (although it has been seen in some species after she has given birth). 

  

  In humans, you can see why this is messed up.  A famous case involving sexual cannibalism is that of Richard Chase, who viciously devoured body parts of his brutally murdered (and arbitrarily chosen) victims. (**WARNING: Do not click on that link if you have a weak stomach.  His story is highly, highly disturbing).

  2.  Aggressive Cannibalism - This  is associated with wars amongst ancient tribes, whereafter murder by the victorious on the defeated was followed by the consumption of the latter's corpses.  The marked traits of aggressive cannibalism are increased feelings of victory and power directly deriving from the consumption of these bodies.

  

  A modern criminal case of an aggressive cannibal is that of Jeffrey Dahmer.  He would dismember parts of the bodies of people he had brutally murdered (for no apparent reason), and refrigerate them, preparing to eat them after keeping them for some time.  He also happened to be a necrophiliac.   

  3.  Spiritual/Ritual Cannibalism - For those of you church-goers, think "The Body of Christ, the Bread of Heaven" - just a little bit less symbolic.  Spiritual or ritual cannibalism occurs when people believe that eating some part of a human will bring them (or someone they loved) some kind of spiritual gift or element.  For example, Gimi women in Papua, New Guinea, traditionally eat the flesh of their dead menfolk before the latter is buried, so that they may more easily join the earth's spirit in the ground.

  Modern criminal cases involving spiritual and ritual cannibalism are often related to cults.  Although it is not considered "criminal", it also continues to be associated with many tribal cultures and religions today.  (Woops - maybe it IS still practiced, after all!). 

   

  4.  Epicureal/Nutritional Cannibalism - This is the Hannibal stuff, where someone is a cannibal simply because they like the taste of human meat and/or organs.    It is criminal when they kill their victims, for sure...but I don't know what the protocol is on the consumption of pre-dead bodies.

    Besides Hannibal Lecter, the only other example I could find on the web is one that may or may not have existed.  Supposedly, a man named "Sawney Bean" is rumored to have lived in Scotland, living with his wife in a cave after discovering his palette for human flesh, killing travelers on the road and eating them.

   

  Would you ever eat another human being in a survival situation (or otherwise)?

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