Eating human flesh

1. 93

   habeeposted 11 years ago

   I just watched the Alive movie again. Could you eat human flesh if doing so was the only way to survive? I could. If you couldn't force yourself to eat it, would you feed it to your kids so they could survive?

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      ngurecoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It's not a matter of choice.
      
      Cannibalism is naturally inbuilt in all animals, including humans, by Mother Nature as a last resort in case we lack food. The 1972 Miracle in the Andes was a situation where 16 passengers survived by feeding on dead passengers for two months after Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes.

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         vocalcoachposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Good point.  I also watched this movie.

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      Sarra Garrettposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I haven't seen that movie in years.  If I was in their situation, yes I could eat human flesh.  Think about it, it's meat not unlike steak or hamburger.  I don't want to sound gross and I certainly don't condone canabalism, however if it meant survival you wouldn't have any other choice.  Good question!

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      paradigmsearchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It depends. Are there condiments?

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         habeeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Yep - ranch dressing. You know what they say about southerners: we'll eat anything coated in ranch dressing! lol

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            livewithrichardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Haha... this reminds me of when I lived in Biloxi, Ms and seen people (some of my relatives included) putting French dressing on their Pizza... that is so wrong

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               Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               You grossed me out with the French Dressing on Pizza thing even more than the topic of the thread had me squirming.  Yuck!

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         CrisSpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         @paradigmsearch: Lol! You cracked me up like peppercorns!

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      HattieMattieMaeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I don't know if I would. It's crazy thought what the mind could do though under thought circumstances. Starving for days in the middle of winter etc. Hallucinations etc. I don't think you'd be in your right mind in the first place to go to that extreme.

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      nikkiinformationposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      why think like that until it happen, if you already know you will do it then you will do it without an emergency happening.  all humans better watch out you actually got human eaters on the loose

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   LauraVerderberposted 11 years ago

   Yeah if I really had to but that would be so gross. Humans transmit diseases easily to each other. Makes me uncomfortable even thinking about it.

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3. 65

   ThompsonPenposted 11 years ago

   I think if it were absolutely dire, I could. This is coming from a vegetarian too.
   It's funny, I was about to post a question about leg of lamb, as I'm hosting an apocalyptic party for my Bday, and am telling everyone i'm serving Leg. This was the first thing I saw on my feed

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4. 93

   vocalcoachposted 11 years ago

   I have seen this movie and wondered the same thing.  I think anyone who watches this must ask himself this question.
   
   It's difficult to know just what we might do.  I guess I'd actually have to be in this same situation to really know.  With a full tummy and feeling safe knowing (or hoping:) I'll still be here tomorrow - my answer would be a resounding "no way!"
   
   But freezing and starving to death, I may find myself ready to eat whatever or whoever is available.
   
   One thing's for sure.  We can't judge the actions of others until we walk in their shoes.

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   Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years ago

   I watched this movie with a friend and we had the same conversation. We decided we would both eat. That movie really stayed with me for a few days. I saw a program at a later time about those people who survived that ordeal. They went back to their same village and lived among the people who's family members they had eaten. They said no one there ever blamed them or questioned them about it. The people who's bodies they had eaten were their friends and they felt that those people would have wanted to help them survive.

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6. 90

   Sharkye11posted 11 years ago

   I read the book, and  would have to say that yes, I would eat. I imagine it would be much easier once the hunger reached a level where primal survival instincts kicked in. I would also feed it to my children to ensure their survival as well.
   
   Maybe I am weird, but I am much more grossed out by the thought of eating grubs. If I had the choice between my companions and the grubs...

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7. 85

   gmwilliamsposted 11 years ago

   Good morning Habee, you have brought up a harsh but sometimes forseeable reality.   Most of us thankfully(knock on wood) have not been exposed to such a reality.    I read some of the book ALIVE which the airplane survivors had to resort to cannabalism in order to survive.   
   
   In extreme cases, people do many things to survive, without exception.   I was looking at a dvd, The World At War series on a segment called Genocide.   One of the interviewees, a Holocaust survivor, was a teenage sonderkommando at Auschwitz.   He stated that in extremely precarious situations in order to live, people would do ANYTHING to stay alive for one more minute without exceptions.   
   
   There were authenticated cases, especially among Russian prisoners of war in German captivity during World War II, where cannabalism was a common occurrence.   Also in the German concentration camps, many prisoners resorted to cannabalism to in order to stop their extreme hunger. 
   
   We can never say what we would not do in extreme circumstances.   The German concentration camps aptly demonstrated the lengths that people would do in order to survive just one more day.   Another book which hinted at cannabalism in German concentration camps is The Theory And Practice Of Hell, The German Concentration Camps And The System Behind Them by Eugen Kogon.

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8. 82

   CMHypnoposted 11 years ago

   I agree with GMWilliams, we can never really know how we are going to react until we are in extreme circumstances where our survival is at stake.  But I think that eating the flesh of somebody who has already died and killing a member of your group to eat is two totally different scenarios, but unless you are there can you judge?
   
   There was this story in the UK papers only last week
   
   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … beria.html

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9. 73

   livewithrichardposted 11 years ago

   I went through survival training when I was in the Army... I was trying to get into Delta Force as a Medic and the survival course was a stage that I had to overcome before I could advance to the next stage of tactical reconnaissance.  I spent 10 days alone in the Mojave desert in Southern California, in the vicinity of Death Valley.  I survived on all sorts of living things that even today make me gag just thinking about it... but then, the only thing on my mind was survival.  It was early in December of 1989 and it was very cold at night and just cold during the day.  I couldn't light a fire because the idea of the training was for me to be behind enemy lines.  I went almost 3 days before I succumbed to the first creature. The biggest thing that played on my mind was fear.  I wasn't actually afraid of dying, I was afraid of how I would look when and if I was found.  You see, I wasn't the only thing out there.  I was stalked by a mountain lion, rested near rattle snakes, scorpions, and fire ants.  I was sure that if I slept more than 30 minutes at a time, I would be overtaken.
   
   It's not in the training books but one of my instructors had made it very clear that 'anything' was fair game for food when it came down to survival and that we shouldn't place that burden of worry on ourselves until after we survived the ordeal. So, I would do what I need to do in order to survive and deal with the consequences later.
   
   Of course, I made it through that 10 day hell and was ready to advance in my training.  However, just a few days later the United States invaded Panama and the military canceled all TDY's (temporary duties and training) and officially ended my run for Delta Force... It's a one shot deal and I would never get another chance.  It also solidified my reasoning to leave the military at the end of my service instead of reenlisting.  I could have gone on to become a Ranger or Green Beret, but Chuck Norris was my hero at the time and Delta Force was my only dream... then came college.

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10. 71

    seanorjohnposted 11 years ago

    If I was legless I think I would come to arm.

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11. 82

    moonlakeposted 11 years ago

    NO!

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12. 89

    mattforteposted 11 years ago

    Of course I could.
    Killing them is one thing, eating when they're already dead is another. If I am left to either A) Eat the remains of a person I once knew or B) Die next to their nutrient filled corpse; you bet your ass I'd eat.
    They're dead. *Not* eating them isn't going to bring them back to life. Eating them could save mine.
    
    Hell, if I were in a situation where I lost an arm and was somehow not bleeding out, and the only thing edible was my arm...I'd cook up that arm in a heartbeat. I'm sure there would be some 'self preservation' instinct causing severe anxiety as I did it..but it's that or die and I don't want to die.
    
    As far as diseases go....just make sure to cook it. Most diseases aren't going to survive the fire.

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13. 83

    donotfearposted 11 years ago

    I read the book "Alive" many years ago.  It's an amazing story of survival.  I can see how being in this situation would drive a person to do what they could to survive, including eating human flesh.  Remember the Donner party?  It's happened over the course of time.

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14. 0

    Bronwyn J Hansenposted 11 years ago

    No. I am a vegetarian.

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15. 73

    CrisSpposted 11 years ago

    Eww, gross but I'd like to see the movie. I don't even eat red meat, much more human flesh.
    Putting it on my list--the movie not the flesh. (:

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16. 75

    Li Galoposted 11 years ago

    Not an appealing thought, but yes, I would eat it and feed it to my children.  People will do extreme things in extreme situations.  If the point is to stay alive, I will eat bugs, drink my own urine, or choke down human flesh - whatever it takes to live!

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       ngurecoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       And once this flesh is finished, it would be time to make another hard decision.

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          mattforteposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          "Should we eat the children next?"

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             Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

             I bet it's the "do we drink our own urine" choice...
             This dinner party just keeps getting better and better.

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17. 88

    Nell Roseposted 11 years ago

    I saw this film years ago and asked the same question. I would definitely eat, but which bit? um! don't want the leg, nor the butt, maybe the arm? no arm in that......!

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       Sarra Garrettposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       but the butt has the roast.   Ooooo that was bad wasn't it.

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18. 0

    Beth37posted 11 years ago

    I wonder if we taste like chicken.

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       Sarra Garrettposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Good one

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          LauraVerderberposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          I'm pretty sure more like pork.

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    Violet Flameposted 11 years ago

    I live with two Buddhist monks, so I thought it would be interesting to run this question to them even though I kind of knew the answer anyway. The final answer: we will pass. We'd rather die thanks. But we will not stop anyone else from doing what they feel they must.

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       Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       How incredibly interesting that you live with monks. How did that come about?

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          Violet Flameposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Hi Beth, ( I also thought it rather cool to be living with two Buddhist monks, well, one monk, one nun :-)) it is actually quite simple really.....before they were  monks, they were my parents. They became fully ordained in 2009. I need to be in the city for my 4 year's course in Fine Arts so I live with them at the family home acting as their chaperone, lol.

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             Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

             So your dad was a monk, your mom was a nun and they are now lay ppl, and then the met and married? What a very interesting story they must have!

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                Violet Flameposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                no, they decided to become Buddhist monk/non in 2009 :-D

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20. 84

    Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years ago

    That's a tough one, Habee - I don't eat any red meat, so my initial answer is 'no' (I guess I would die off early and I could become someone's dinner).  But I admit we don't really know what we would do in certain situations.

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21. 88

    divacratusposted 11 years ago

    Oh my! Can't even think about it. Just might end up eating, if the going gets too tough.

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22. 73

    Dan Barfieldposted 11 years ago

    Human meat was called 'long pork' by some cultures. I reckon I probably would if I was actually starving. One shouldn't underestimate the motivating power of the survival instinct - it's pretty damned strong!

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    pstraubie48posted 11 years ago

    I have watched that movie several times and each time the same question comes to mind that you have posed. My answer remains: I do not know how I would react. I feel certain that what I say now, sitting in the comfort of my home, is much different than what might occur on the side of a mountain facing death with my family.

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    PeppermintPaddyposted 11 years ago

    No. And if the worth of a human being becomes diminished to the point of being a food product, is everything then not off limits. Would you care about what became of your fellow man? That's if he isn't digesting in your stomach.

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25. 94

    leahleflerposted 11 years ago

    

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26. 0

    Beth37posted 11 years ago

    I would not, I could not eat human flesh.
    Not on a napkin or in a dish.
    
    Not on an island or an alp,
    not thigh or breast or neck or scalp.
    
    I'll never, no never be hungry like that.
    I'd first eat my coat, my shoe or my hat.
    
    Above all else, I want you to know,
    I can see you watching me by the moons glow...
    
    So put down that fork, and put down that knife,
    I'm sure I run faster than your wife.

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