Table of ContentsIntroductionCannibalism in HistoryCannibalism as a FetishSurvival CannibalismAutocannibalismConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionWhen people hear the word cannibalism, they are almost immediately disgusted by it. It is an extremely taboo subject in many cultures and throughout the United States. Cannibalism is defined as “the act or practice of eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings.” (Wikipedia, 2020). Eating the flesh or internal organs of another human has been going on for centuries. According to a recent study carried out by researchers in France, it was found that around 120,000 years ago, Neanderthals were cannibalizing each other to combat harsh climate change. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Cannibalism in History There are stories of Christopher Columbus writing to Queen Isabella to tell her about the Caribbean that he and his fellow explorers had encountered on their expeditions. . He told her that they were known for their violent raids and that they cooked and ate their prisoners. This is believed to be where the term cannibal comes from. Queen Isabella, being a person of power, made sure that anyone who ate human flesh was captured and enslaved. Thus, the first idea that cannibalism was deviant arose. In 15th century Europe, a cure for epilepsy, nausea, bruising, and just about any other medical problem was believed to be found in a brown powder that could be mixed into drinks, or used as an ointment . This brown powder was called mumia and was made from the mummified flesh of humans. Mumia was so popular that it was listed in the Merck Index well into the 20th century. Not only was eating mummified flesh used as a medical remedy, but in ancient China it was believed that an adult child of a sick parent could help cure them. by offering a piece of their flesh. The child would cut off a piece of his thigh, arm or even remove his finger for his sick parent. This was not considered a sacrifice since the children did not die. This type of cannibalism was accepted at the time but is no longer widely practiced today. The Aghori of India are known as the cannibals of modern times. They perform various post-mortem rituals and believe that their practices kill the ego and bring them closer to enlightenment. The Aghori live in the city of Varanasi or in cremation grounds, where they cover themselves with the cremated remains of the dead, to bring them closer to the God Shiva. They have been meditating for 12 years while living in Varanasi and have to cut all ties with family and friends. They will often participate in cannibalistic rituals and eat freshly dead corpses brought to cremation grounds and eat the raw flesh. They believe that God is in everything, so they are grateful for whatever is given to them. Aghori Baba or monks will also eat the rotten flesh of a corpse, if they find one. The Aghori are widely recognized and feared throughout India as they don't seem to have a care in the world and most of the time you will find them drunk or on opioids. They choose this life to bring them closer to enlightenment. Does this make them deviant? If you look at the Aghori from a moral point of view, then yes, they are deviant, in their cannibalism and rituals. The Aghori pride themselves on making sure they do particularly heinous things. They eat the flesh of the dead, they urinate in the skulls of the dead and drink it, they have no worriesworld. Cannibalism as a Fetish What happens when cannibalism becomes an obsession or a fetish? In Issei Sagawa's case, this led him to kill an innocent woman. Issei Sagawa is a Japanese man who seemed obsessed with the desire to eat a woman. While attending school in France, Sagawa befriended a Dutch woman named Renée. He took her back to his apartment, shot her in the head, raped her corpse and started eating it. Sagawa ate part of Renée raw and cooked part of her flesh. He fed on her body for three days before cutting off what was left and attempting to throw it into a river. Authorities arrested him and he confessed to his crimes, but was released after being declared insane and unfit to stand trial by a French judge. Sagawa was sent back to Japan where he was to spend the rest of his days in a mental institution but was ultimately released as his case was dropped in France. Sagawa still fantasizes about eating human flesh again and says it's a fetish. He made a lot of money being the freed cannibal, writing books and manga, and even making so-called sexual exploitation videos. Issei Sagawa grew up in a wealthy family, he was able to attend a nice school, he had just about everything he could need or want. The only thing it lacked was looks. He was born prematurely, so he was very small, he had health issues that made him look weird. He knew he wasn't handsome, and he knew no woman in her right mind would want him alone. So he began fantasizing about eating them, wondering what they would taste like, until he could make that fantasy a reality. Survival Cannibalism What happens when your life depends on cannibalism? Survival cannibalism is often one of the things people accept. You did it to live and survive. You had no other choice. In October 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes. On board were 19 members of the Old Christians Rugby team. In total, there were 45 people on board the plane, and only 33 survived the initial crash. During this time, several of the 33 people died and their bodies were carried down the mountain by avalanches. The survivors tried to live on candy bars and wine for several weeks, but once that wore off, they lost hope. After a long conversation, the survivors all decided that they would eat the next dead man, which they did. By the end of the operation, only 16 people had been rescued. They remained trapped in the mountain for 2 months and were only able to survive by eating their comrades and travelers. Without their decision to cannibalize the dead, none of them would have made it out alive. Survival cannibalism has been around for ages, and this is just one example where it has helped save a few lives. I have a feeling that the body's fight-or-flight instinct will eventually kick in and your need to live will drive out your distaste for eating human flesh. Self-cannibalism What about self-cannibalism? The act of eating one's own flesh or organs? Again, people turn their noses up at the idea of ​​cannibalism, but what happens when women choose to eat their own placenta after giving birth? It's well known that the placenta is packed with nutrients, it provides the growing baby with everything it needs to survive in the womb, so it makes sense to eat it, right? It could be argued that eating your own placenta is not self-cannibalism, because it is an organ that develops when you become pregnant and is not with you all..