Ask Your Question today
Imagine you were offered a taste of human meat, with a guarantee that:
a) It won't harm you physically.
b) The meat was taken from someone who consented before they died of natural causes.
c) No one will ever hear about it.
Would you try it?
| Yes | 97 | |
| No | 144 | |
| Maybe | 27 |
It's strange what taboos people will entertain here and which get a blanket no. You covered the options of harm, consent and reputation, leaving only the morality.
On a moral level, it could be argued that it's more moral to eat something which consented to be eaten, as opposed to the kind of animals we do eat and which give no consent.
Would I try it? I'd be curious but I think it would have an unpredictable impact psychologically and I don't know that I'd take the risk.
Taboos are interesting... they tend to evoke completely visceral responses without much rational thought. For the record, I have no problem with someone saying they wouldn't try it, I was just wondering if there would be any reasoning behind it.
I'm thinking the same thing, though. I'd probably end up trying it, and spend the next couple hours sucking my thumb and sobbing in the corner.
This is pretty much my reaction, yes. People think they are thinking when really they're just reacting instinctively to an internal red alert and cutting dead any idea of taking time out to think rationally (or for themselves).
Although I said I probably wouldn't try it, if you remove the psychological impact, I think I probably would.
Interesting comments from Yumazing and wigsplitz. At least it seems they have engaged their brains before answering.
yea.... I'm too much of a curious person I would try it if it was cooked though. lol I really wanted to know how humans would taste after watching Silence of the Lambs.. haha
Why? It's not like I have cannibalistic urges or anything, but I think I'd be a little curious in this situation. I may have an existential crisis right after, but I think I might try. What's disgusting about it?
To me, eating humans is wrong. I don't know why, but it's just absolutely repulsive to me. I am perfectly fine with chicken, steak, and pork; I don't want to eat a human nor am I curious.
Sure, it makes me shudder. In an evolutionary sense, we probably wouldn't be alive if we had no moral hangups about eating each other.
Actually a surprising amount of animals are cannibals. It seems counter intuitive but there are some advantages. Shark babies eat one another in the womb so that the strongest survive and some species of flies (I think if I remember correctly) have the female eat the male during sex to keep the female interested. Animals are weird.
True... do you mind if I ask you why you would try it/be curious? Like to me, I have absolutely no desire to eat nor curiosity about human meat.
Why would you want to try a disgusting pig?
Anyway, again, I don't WANT to eat humans. But if I was offered and guaranteed no repercussions, I'd probably be curious enough to try. I was just looking for a good reason not to other than "gross lol".
Fuck no! I can't believe some people would actually consider it!
You know the people who have done this have all gotten diseases?
I think it's wrong. Just like it's wrong for commercial pet food brands to put other dead animals (of the same species) in the food or even when they put by-products in.
I have already. Those with more muscle usually taste better, but cooked properly, the fatties can be pretty good.
Where's the 'I have' option? Long pig... Mmmmmm. The flesh under the back of the neck right to either side of the spine is the best. A bit metallic tasting but good. Whoever tells you the toes are the best is FULL OF SHIT. They're they people that say "yeah, I took acid once. I saw a gigantic talking bunny rabbit" or some ridiculous nonsense.
I don't think that I could.
I am pretty certain that I couldn't handle being a surgeon. So, similarly, just knowing that it was a human would make me somewhat squeamish, although I'm not very picky when it comes to eating.
It is an interesting proposition though, and I can't deny that I would be curious under the (hypothetical) circumstances that you listed. Maybe if I had a friend who tried it first or something... Nah, I still couldn't do it XD
I'm not saying it's wrong, if you were to eat human muscle fiber it would be a very nutricious meat to actually have but I wouldn't have it.
Come the day the world ends and i become a zombie, you'll be the first to know my answer :P
I'd probably be sick, pass out and then wake up at hospital. So no, I'd rather not.
Interesting question...
I don't think I would. It would be interesting, but I wouldn't have the guts.
Why is this poll getting bad comments? It's less controversial than most stuff we talk about.
In all honesty, yes. I don't have an urge to taste it, but if the chance to experience it is there, I will take it. Apparantly it tastes like pork.
That's disgusting, truly, truly disgusting. You and seven other excuses for human existence said that you would. That person had family, a mother, a father, and an entire story that went with it, YET you'd eat it. That's disgusting.
Pigs and cows don't have stories, they don't have real families, they don't show sincere affection to eachother, they can't create, invent, add almost anything to this world, and most importantly they can't love. That's why they are here, to provide resources to those who can do all above mentioned things.
I really, really think i've lost very much hope in humanity.
Shut up.
When you confuse someone's dead (or living) physical body with who they were, that's disgusting. Everyone has arms and legs, it's their life and their personality that makes them who they are, that showed love to their mother and father, who had a story, without that part of them, they're not human beings.
Animals can't love? You sure about that? I have two years of animal care course studies to prove you wrong.
Do you know in some cultures that they eat dead members of their tribe so that the fallen member can become one with the other members of the cultures in a show of love and respect?
So, what about people with personality dissorders and mental dissorders? Alot of them will never love, invent or add anything to society. Does that mean that they should be killed? Afterall, they will be just as useful as the pigs.
So, what could eating humans involve? It could involve feeding the poor that would die if they hadn't had a source of food.
Instead of burying a body in the ground, you make use of the body to help others of the same species survive.
The physical body of someone isn't what makes them important, it's the things they done that is. The things the feel and think is what makes them human, not their body. The rotting decaying body in the ground isn't what the beloved ones think of when they think about the person, it's the great memories they have of them.
You imply that the human "body" is what makes us human. You think that using a dead body to help others is cruel. All I can say is that there is truely someone disgusting in this conversation; you.
So tell me. Do the people that could of lived if they had eaten the dead flesh of their fellow species not deserve the right to tell their story? Not allowed to love and play their story? Because you basically show that if you eat a human being's body (a dead one), you're a disgrace.
Last point. Is it more "respecting" to burry someone and let them be eaten by insects? is that more respecting?
Don't even try to challenge me on here, it will end with you looking like a fool, believe me.
I know you're kind of new to this site given your member number. You're yet to know the main characters on this site. Let you in on a little secret; I'm one of those people. It was really a mistake to call someone such things, especially me. Big mistake challenging me on a matter such as this.
You didn't just hit the nail on the head with a hammer, you used an anvil. I completely agree with what you say, my flesh isn't who I am. Sure, for the time being, it's mine and it's me but when I'm dead, it's just a shell.
Calm down guys.
Also, I agree with everything in your comment (you said pretty much everything I was thinking), but the machismo at the end there? Boasting on the internet don't work, man. Just saying.
Anyway, bing01059, no need to start a fight, please calm down.
Sorry, the boasting was uneeded. I just get irritated by the way members just join and then start saying thing to me in an insulting way when they don't even understand the subject they're talking about. I can handle being called names if they are accurate, but calling me things for in just reasons irritates me.
My end part wasn't much of a "woe is me" part, just a "be prepared to lose this argument/debate" part.
I hate humanity for such anthropocentric beings like you!
"A book full of stories is nothing when you die" (Abandon All Ships)
Who would mind they have a story... it is just dead piece of flesh... There is nothing wrong with wanting to try it!
You're an arrogant human. You think animals don't have bonds. You never heard of animals forming packs? Or mothers sticking with their offspring to bring them up? You think that's solely attributable to humans? I've already made this point but you'd go in, kill an animal's mother, and eat it. The hypothetical subject of this post is that the person donating the meat has consented to have her/his body consumed.
Tell me why it's better to eat something that didn't want to be eaten. And forget for just a second that you are a human, because you're an animal too, just like everything else. You don't deserve special treatment.
Here's some points to consider as to why it is probably disgusting.
1. Consider the age of the 'animal' you eat. Most quality meat animals are only from a few months to around 2 years old, tyically. You're talking about eaitng an adult human, they'd have to be at least 18 to legally sign over their flesh to you, I'd think. So you'd be lucky to get at least an 18 year old, but may get a much older person.
2. The diet of the animal drastically impacts quality and flavor. What has the average human been eating/consuming for the past 18 or so years? Ehhh...
Did they smoke, take meds, drugs, anything that could also taste disgusting in flesh, not to mention that it may harm you...I know you said 'guaranteed not to harm you' but that's not really a guarantee you can make, that HAS to be a concern. You couldn't possibly know everything this person had ever consumed and guarantee it wouldn't harm you to consume them. Or just flat out taste awful...(probably)...
It just doesn't sound appealing at all to me, in any way. And it doesn't make any sense to me either, for the reasons I stated above.
So you are saying it would be better to get a farm raised human for eating, rather then a free range human, right?
See, that's a perfectly reasonable answer, and I didn't think about any of those things. As for the health guarantee, that's just part of the hypothetical (because as some other people can't quite seem to comprehend, this is entirely hypothetical).
hy·po·thet·i·cal/ˌhīpəˈTHetikəl/
Adjective:
Of, based on, or serving as a hypothesis.
Noun:
A hypothetical proposition or statement: "Flynn talked in hypotheticals, tossing what-if scenarios to Kernaghan".
Synonyms:
hypothetic - conjectural - presumptive
It is dead. There is no life there to value, just dead meat. There is nothing noble about not doing something simply because it would gross you out or you feel dogmatically that it is wrong.
I disagree that we are separate from animals. Science will back me up.
Honey, where did you go to school? Because I want to sit down and have a chat with your science teacher if you believe humans arent animals.
Eukarya
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Hominidae
Homo
Sapien (sapien)
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_full_Scientific_classification_for_a_human#ixzz1hTHNEe9G
Sorry cant reply to your full post, I simply havent the time right now.
The poster was asking for rational arguements, I think, instead of just 'ohhh, that's gross'. Why is it gross? Why is it more gross than eating any other meat? I attempted to answer that in a rational way and left out 'feelings'. As for my feelings on the subject, I don't really have strong feelings about it. I personally don't have any desire to try this, I just don't. But I wouldn't fault anyone else for having a curiosity, so long as the flesh was procured legally, I don't have an issue with someone making that choice to try it.
I also think the poster implied the flesh was legally obtained (and it CAN be in most places), so I'm not sure where the 'value of life' is coming into play here. He wasn't suggesting hunting humans or killing them for this purpose. A person technically wouldn't even have to die to be able to donate their flesh, it could come from an amputation.
But why does it matter, if it's already dead? You said we need to understand how much life is truly worth. I agree with you, a lot of people don't understand that. However, it's not life if the person is dead. If they gave consent you can either bury him or feed someone's tummy with him. I fail to see what's so wrong about that.
Read my poll. In this HYPOTHETICAL (thank you Yumazing) situation, this is meat from someone who consented before they died of natural causes.
And wigsplitz, I thank you for an actual, rational answer.
I don't have the desire to tbh:S
I'm usually very curious, but not when it comes to food...
If you, or anyone else reading this is having ANY thoughts of eating ANY form of human in ANY way, they need to SERIOUSLY seek help.
It most certainly isn't normal and it sure as hell isn't something to be "curious about". There are even very few animals who would eat each other, but especially the one's that are similar to us in ANY way would never do it (i.e. Dolphins).
It's disgusting, even if you hate the person or have no feelings, or do it out of some sadistic way you show love, it's horrible.
The ONLY thing that holds society together is morality. It's what separates us from animals. It's bad enough that the moral state of the world has delved very low, but, as soon as anyone even CONSIDERS eating another human being, it's done.
It's completely 100% normal to be "curious" about it... People are curious about all sorts of things they'd never do. Also, humans ARE animals.
Actually, there can be no morality without empathy, because whos to say whats right or wrong if only *my* needs matter. So technically its our ability to empathize that separates us from animals. ;P No other life form has the ability to put itself in another creatures shoes.
I don't know if that what we call morality does not exist for animals too nor I know if this moral is anything good for us humans as everyone has different opinions of morality!