Cannibalism, could you or wouldn't you

Double post.



[edit on 16-10-2007 by Throbber]

Considering that i've already stated that the human body can survive for months without food, i'll move onto the different points of why it would be ultimately foolish to eat human meat.

The human body contains around 70% water, which the brain knows about via various sensory nodes contained throughout the body - and the first thing to break down as a result of lack of water is probably these cells, or various parts of the brain*; People are rarely exposed to thirst, so maybe it isn't that obvious - however;

You may be thinking that because the human body contains 70% of water that another human body would be an obvious choice for refilling this supply - but this would be ignoring the fact that the meat needs to be cooked; thereby burning off much of the water that's needed.

So why not eat it un-cooked, and therefore replenish the supply?

Simple; we all know why you shouldn't eat un-cooked meat, it carries disease and bacteria which will inevitably affect you by entering into the blood-stream via consumption.

So not only is it that I could survive a lot longer with water than i could with food, but also that eating human flesh will lessen my chances for survival.

Oh, and morally, no - i wouldn't eat human meat; i'd rather give the parents of the individual their son's body WITHOUT a chunk of his ass missing (btw, that's actually where the best meat is).




EDIT: Oh yeah, and regardless of whether or not i cook it there will be some diseases which will not be eradicated due to the fact that i'm eating a member of my own species - there are also various psychological issues involved; i don't want to die with the taste of human flesh on my tongue, for example.





EDIT2: The fact that the brain will die if it receives no water is another reason why water is so much more important that food.


Double Edit.


[edit on 16-10-2007 by Throbber]

[edit on 16-10-2007 by Throbber]

reply to post by Throbber


when you are starving, delirious, and hallucinating, you think your brain will be able to think it out like that?

fact is though, people have sirvived horrible incidents and the reason is because they resorted to eating others....

there are ways. you don't need to eat it raw...you could do like back in the day and cut thin strips and dry it out in the sun kinda like a beef jerky.

when i am on the brink of death, i don't think i will be worrying about possible diseases.



i also think that a good chink of the people that say they wouldn't really would when it comes down to it....

you're trying to get home to your wife and kid and there is a stack of meat right there and you're just gonna let it rot, then rot beside it?

not me man....

i'm making slim jims and all kinds of stuff.

to answer the religion question, Iam Christian and I think that in an extreme case, meat is meat. I accept death and it doesn't scare me, but its like someone else posted, why let 6 or 7 die when you can save yourself. I wouldnt kill someone in order to survive and eat, but if the body was dead anyway... its not different than eating mcdonalds.

Well this really isn't a difficult question for me.......because I'm a cannibal anyway.....!

I just can't wait for the nukes to start flying or the aliens to invade so I can start eating my neighbours, (will save me a lot of hassel and time hunting my meat as I do now) because no-one will give a f**k as they'll be too scared or waiting for the government to help them out......!

Just my 2 cents.....!

MR

reply to post by Boondock78


My original point was that water is far more important to the survival of the human body than food would be - a person can survive for months without food and only a few days (perhaps even less in a hot climate) without water.

I was getting at how a person would be able to gather that water from eating raw flesh (despite the certainty that you'd become diseased or infected, thereby reducing your survival possibilities to nil), whilst cooking the meat would mean that you lose most of the precious water.

Oh, and if you survive for months on water and you're still no better off, then you probably need to accept that you're not going to survive.

So i'll go through the three scenarios i outlined before in which cannibalism could possibly be raised as a solution with no other alternative;

Scenario 1 - Artic survival - : You'll freeze to death before you get that hungry; however there is a ready supply of water all around you, so you may indeed survive to a point in which you die of starvation.

Regardless, if you're alone in the arctic with a few companions and realise no help at all is coming, you will die.

Scenario 2 - Subterrainian survival- : To be honest, If you're in a cave (or other enclosed area) deep underground without climbing equipment, you're as good as dead anyway.

Scenario 3 - Sea survival- : Like Subterrainan, but you do stand more chance of being found (perhaps randomly, even) or even perhaps drifting to dry land where there'll be nutritional supplies.

And just for fun Scenario 4 - Desert survival- : You will die.


From these few examples, i deduce that cannibalism as a 'survival' measure is an irrational action taken only when faced with the prospect of death.*

Of course, if you know what you're doing, some scenarios will allow for the fact that there is absolutely no nessecity to even consider cannibalism.


Granted, some people just can't... or perhaps they refuse to face the prospect of death calmly - and of course, in survival keeping a level head is the only thing that matters.

Or then again, perhaps there are some whom are just looking to spill some blood before they die, it's important not to hide behind logical superiority if that's the case - it'll avoid confusion in the long run.



EDIT: *You'll survive longer if you don't eat human meat (or 'long pig' if you prefer), trust me.

EDIT2: And for those of you commenting on how "Oh, it's better if 1 person survives as opposed to everyone dying", do you intend to kill them all by yourself?

[edit on 16-10-2007 by Throbber]

[edit on 16-10-2007 by Throbber]

when faced with utter starvation i think you would all be very suprised at what your capable of to try to stem death, instinct takes over.

See the film 'Alive' true story u know

reply to post by Throbber


I will second that ... and add, I am a vegetarian anyway ... most likely any meat going into my stomach would cause me to vomit, thus adding to dehydration.

I have some extra baggage anyway, so there is plenty of energy stored for me to survive quite a while as long as I keep hydrated.

I just wouldn't do it. I won't eat flesh of any kind.

reply to post by Quantum_Squirrel


So you're saying that the average joe would quite happily consider killing everyone in his (or her, if you prefer to be called Jane) immediate vicinity in order to survive...

Judging by the responses that are shown here, it seems that most people are quite willing to resort to cannibalism in order to postpone what is already inevitable.

It's quite interesting to note how people seem to think that everyone who wouldn't resort to cannibalism is some sort of conformist* - that holding the belief that it is folly is a folly in itself - when the majority seems to lie on the other side of the line.

Of course, if you feel that it isn't entirely selfish, that it doesn't have to be you in particular to survive - then remember that it's your flesh that is going to be chomped on.

I'm not approaching this from a position of moral superiority of course, i'm sure more than a few people have noticed that.






*Judging by the way that counter-culture seems to have become inter-meshed with the mainstream (LIKE EVERY OTHER CULTURE THERE HAS EVER BEEN) i think it's probable that many people whom aren't even aware of the abovetopsecret forums would share similar views to those expressed here.

Of course, here we have some degree of anonymonity - which may explain why there hasn't been the inevitable 'it doesn't matter, man' followed by 'this guy is a *profanity removed* fool' behind my back.

Maybe it's my latent paranoia that gives me such a decisive view of society, and there isn't much i can say about that other than that in every work of fiction, there are a few shreds of truth.


[edit on 17-10-2007 by Throbber]

Originally posted by Throbber




Judging by the responses that are shown here, it seems that most people are quite willing to resort to cannibalism in order to postpone what is already inevitable.

people HAVE survived scenerios like mentioned and the only reason they did was because of resorting to eating human flesh.

eating human flesh could buy you a day or two days or a week.
could you get sick? yes...will you? don't know.

here is a scenerio for you.
if i am stuck in the friggin andes and i am starting to starve to death, i will be eating people...simple as that, cut and dry.
the longer you can hold on, the better shot you have of getting out.

aside from all that, i am not to keen on dying and refuse to accept it.

reply to post by Boondock78


So you refuse to accept death and are willing to bring about death in others in order to prevent your own?

Obviously, that's a matter of opinion - i hope you're aware however that there are others who feel the same as you do, some whom are even influenced into that opinion because of the simple reason that there are those who hold that opinion.

I have no real problem with this.

Importantly, however - is that if you become ill or otherwise debilitated in a survival situation, you are going to die - it would take a work of god or some other freak occurance to save you.

I'd start with the youngsters. They'd be more tender.

I am a vegetarian. I don't eat meat. But that is because I don't approve of how we "farm" said meat. It's wrong and cruel and I have never been hungry enough
to eat this death when there are other options available to me. It's gross. Look it up. You don't want any part of that. But if I was in a situation that desperate, then dang, I would eat you. I'm probably the only one you could count on not to kill you to eat you. But if you were already dead and I was that hungry...............

Well, the majority seem to be contemplating cannibalism as a possible means of survival - at least it's known where i stand on the discussion.

btw: it's not that i 'can't' use cannibalism for survival, it's that i 'won't'.

reply to post by FreeThinkerIdealist


I think we have had this conversation before, and as I said then, as much as I love your mind.. I won't have to eat it if we crash on a mountain somewhere and you die. And being a veggie person, you'll prolly be juicy and sweet... There is a reason we don't for the most part eat carnivores.. Even places that DO (asia/dogs) like the milk suckled young.
A chunk of gluteous maximus would do me just fine, and being as it has a high fat content.. well.. I can just hear it sizzling like bacon.
People, it is the OTHER other white meat.
Me, I'll eat anything that doesn't eat me first. That being said, if I am dead, someone, anyone, feel free to eat me too.
I told my mother feed my body to my dogs when I die, she said she couldn't cause it was against the law.
The flesh is just dead meat once the soul has past.. I would think we would have all gotten that point from watching Klingon death ceremonies.
No, I am not going to go hunt people down to taste them, I have not the slightest interest in eating people. But you can bet if it comes down to it, I am coming off that mountain.

Hell yeah i would eat another person, I wouldn't even think twice about it if it meant my survival, i would eat anybody.