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Is eating your dead pet considered uncivilized?

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Is eating your dead pet considered uncivilized?
Yes, The man should be arrested and tortured 5%  5%  [ 2 ]
Yes but the man should not be penalized. 19%  19%  [ 7 ]
It depends on the culture. 19%  19%  [ 7 ]
I find it disturbing but not necessarily uncivilized. 27%  27%  [ 10 ]
I don't consider it to be uncivilized. 14%  14%  [ 5 ]
Please pass the dog meat father! 16%  16%  [ 6 ]
Total votes : 37

CrazyCatLord
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29 Jan 2012, 4:54 pm

scubasteve wrote:
When you think about it, eating a dog that's already dead might be more civilized than killing another animal to eat.

For most people, though, it would require a disturbing level of emotional detachment to be able to eat what was a family pet.

In any case, there is never a need for ridicule. That never solves anything.

The neighbor's ridicule is the one thing in this story I might consider "uncivilized".

(Although, that word in itself is judgmental. It's basically a way of justifying prejudice.)


The exact same thing could be said about eating recently deceased human relatives. We are animals too, so it would be a waste to throw grandma's corpse away and kill a cow instead :)

But like you said, it would require a disturbing amount of emotional detachment. Just imagine grandma on a spit with an apple in her mouth 8O I'm pretty sure that the neighbors would strongly object in this case too.



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29 Jan 2012, 5:00 pm

Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


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29 Jan 2012, 5:02 pm

abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


Meat eaters should not eat meat eaters.



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29 Jan 2012, 5:05 pm

abacacus wrote:
Social contract? I never signed any contract.

I wouldn't personally slaughter a cat (I like cats, I have two) but I don't see the issue with eating one. If I remember correctly, I actually have once, at an Asian restaurant in New York.


Your species signed it for you. Imagine we would come across a primitive alien species and engage in trade relations with them. Would it be ok to eat them?

That's basically what happened when wolves or coyotes sought out our campfires, and later when cats began to hunt rodents in our granaries. Three species in a mutually beneficial exchange. I see that as an agreement or a contract. We have often treated them badly throughout history, but they are still our companions, not livestock.



Last edited by CrazyCatLord on 29 Jan 2012, 5:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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29 Jan 2012, 5:12 pm

shrox wrote:
abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


Meat eaters should not eat meat eaters.


That's how I see it too. I don't eat other predators out of principle.

Although technically, pigs are omnivorous predators like humans. Wild pigs eat amphibians, reptiles, birds, and young mammals such as infant mice and rabbits. But I sometimes make an exception for them because they're so damn tasty :P Pork is not exactly healthy though, so perhaps I should apply my food ethics more consistently. I mostly eat poultry anyway.



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29 Jan 2012, 5:17 pm

abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


The problem with cannibalism is that once human flesh / meat becomes part of our food chain, people start to rely on it as a food source. During times of food shortages, you can no longer be certain that your neighbors will rather starve than hit you over the head and drag you into the pantry.

For the same reason, I wouldn't want my neighbors to eat cats and dogs, because I'd fear for my own pets.

Edited to add: Another problem with cannibalism is that young mammals usually taste better than old ones. At some point, somebody will get it into their head to try the human equivalent of roast suckling pig.



Last edited by CrazyCatLord on 29 Jan 2012, 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

abacacus
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29 Jan 2012, 5:23 pm

CrazyCatLord wrote:
abacacus wrote:
Social contract? I never signed any contract.

I wouldn't personally slaughter a cat (I like cats, I have two) but I don't see the issue with eating one. If I remember correctly, I actually have once, at an Asian restaurant in New York.


Your species signed it for you. Imagine we would come across a primitive alien species and engage in trade relations with them. Would it be ok to eat them?

That's basically what happened when wolves or coyotes sought out our campfires, and later when cats began to hunt rodents in our granaries. Two species in a mutually benefitial exchange. I see that as an agreement or a contract. We have often treated them badly throughout history, but they are still our companions, not livestock.


Just because my species agreed upon something does not mean I particularly care about it. I care about my animals, this does not mean I have some aversion to eating them.


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29 Jan 2012, 5:25 pm

CrazyCatLord wrote:
shrox wrote:
abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


Meat eaters should not eat meat eaters.


That's how I see it too. I don't eat other predators out of principle.

Although technically, pigs are omnivorous predators like humans. Wild pigs eat amphibians, reptiles, birds, and young mammals such as infant mice and rabbits. But I sometimes make an exception for them because they're so damn tasty :P Pork is not exactly healthy though, so perhaps I should apply my food ethics more consistently. I mostly eat poultry anyway.


I will eat anything that won't eat me first. Why wouldn't I eat something just because it also eats meat? I'm confused now :?


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29 Jan 2012, 5:26 pm

CrazyCatLord wrote:
abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


The problem with cannibalism is that once human flesh / meat becomes part of our food chain, people start to rely on it as a food source. During times of food shortages, you can no longer be certain that your neighbors will rather starve than hit you over the head and drag you into the pantry.

For the same reason, I wouldn't want my neighbors to eat cats and dogs, because I'd fear for my own pets.

Edited to add: Another problem with cannibalism is that young mammals usually taste better than old ones. At some point, somebody will get it into their head to try the human equivalent of roast suckling pig.


No different than eating a pig. Actually, a nickname for human flesh that I've heard is "long pig".

Also, when people are starving to death, they do eat each other. It happens. Survival instinct trumps morals every time.


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29 Jan 2012, 7:20 pm

Four people actually voted for "Pass the dog meant please father!".
That's very funny and disturbing but it did come from my mind.
What the hell does that say about my sense of humor?


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29 Jan 2012, 8:39 pm

mar00 wrote:
That's just so low.
What's the difference between a dog and a human? I see none. I say we eat all those who don't pass annual intelligence testing.
Some solution for overpopulation.


Wow you'd make a good dictator for the global state hahaha :D



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30 Jan 2012, 7:27 am

abacacus wrote:
CrazyCatLord wrote:
shrox wrote:
abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


Meat eaters should not eat meat eaters.


That's how I see it too. I don't eat other predators out of principle.

Although technically, pigs are omnivorous predators like humans. Wild pigs eat amphibians, reptiles, birds, and young mammals such as infant mice and rabbits. But I sometimes make an exception for them because they're so damn tasty :P Pork is not exactly healthy though, so perhaps I should apply my food ethics more consistently. I mostly eat poultry anyway.


I will eat anything that won't eat me first. Why wouldn't I eat something just because it also eats meat? I'm confused now :?


If you want a logical reason rather than a vague feeling of kinship with other predatory, relatively intelligent mammals, consider that they are higher up in the food chain, which means they eat and accumulate more pollutants.

Mercury in seafood is a great example because we eat both sea-dwelling carnivores and herbivores. Prawns and clams live in the same environment as predatory fish, but their mercury contamination levels are negligibly low. The higher you go up the food chain, the greater the mercury contamination. Apex predators have the highest contamination, which is why I'd never touch shark meat.



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30 Jan 2012, 7:49 am

abacacus wrote:
CrazyCatLord wrote:
abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


The problem with cannibalism is that once human flesh / meat becomes part of our food chain, people start to rely on it as a food source. During times of food shortages, you can no longer be certain that your neighbors will rather starve than hit you over the head and drag you into the pantry.

For the same reason, I wouldn't want my neighbors to eat cats and dogs, because I'd fear for my own pets.

Edited to add: Another problem with cannibalism is that young mammals usually taste better than old ones. At some point, somebody will get it into their head to try the human equivalent of roast suckling pig.


No different than eating a pig. Actually, a nickname for human flesh that I've heard is "long pig".

Also, when people are starving to death, they do eat each other. It happens. Survival instinct trumps morals every time.


I know. The word "long pig" has become quite popular on the internet, especially its German equivalent. If you happen to speak German, I would greatly discourage you from a Google search for "Langschwein", because the results are extremely disturbing. Mostly suicidal individuals and fetishists looking for someone to butcher them or eat certain parts of their body in front of them.

I have no idea why Germans in particular have such a sick fascination with cannibalism. I could imagine that the Rotenburg cannibal has inspired some of these disturbed individuals, and the fetish artwork of artists like Dolcett further normalizes their repugnant fantasies. Not that I'm pro censorship, mind you. But I think the more we relativize cannibalism, the more we encourage obsessed or deranged people like Armin Meiwes. At some point, consenting victims might no longer be enough for one of them.



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30 Jan 2012, 5:28 pm

I'd consider it wrong to eat one's pets. Heck, if I had to kill and process animals whatsoever in order to eat meat, then I'd much rather be a vegetarian than have to do any of that. It stinks that the slaughtering of animals happens regardless, but I wouldn't be able to stand seeing it occur or being involved directly. I'd rather be a vegetarian as it is, except for dealing with family members and churchians who think vegetarianism is somehow evil even though such is what the Bible says was the initial condition prior to the Fall of humankind.



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30 Jan 2012, 6:24 pm

CrazyCatLord wrote:
abacacus wrote:
CrazyCatLord wrote:
shrox wrote:
abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


Meat eaters should not eat meat eaters.


That's how I see it too. I don't eat other predators out of principle.

Although technically, pigs are omnivorous predators like humans. Wild pigs eat amphibians, reptiles, birds, and young mammals such as infant mice and rabbits. But I sometimes make an exception for them because they're so damn tasty :P Pork is not exactly healthy though, so perhaps I should apply my food ethics more consistently. I mostly eat poultry anyway.


I will eat anything that won't eat me first. Why wouldn't I eat something just because it also eats meat? I'm confused now :?


If you want a logical reason rather than a vague feeling of kinship with other predatory, relatively intelligent mammals, consider that they are higher up in the food chain, which means they eat and accumulate more pollutants.

Mercury in seafood is a great example because we eat both sea-dwelling carnivores and herbivores. Prawns and clams live in the same environment as predatory fish, but their mercury contamination levels are negligibly low. The higher you go up the food chain, the greater the mercury contamination. Apex predators have the highest contamination, which is why I'd never touch shark meat.


Shark fin soup is an utter delicacy I've heard, as is shark steak :)

If I didn't want to eat mercury, I'd avoid seafood in general. If I eat a shark the mercury in said shark will not kill me unless I routinely eat large amounts of shark. I still don't see the aversion.


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abacacus
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30 Jan 2012, 6:27 pm

CrazyCatLord wrote:
abacacus wrote:
CrazyCatLord wrote:
abacacus wrote:
Cannibalism has been practised many times throughout history.

I personally have a mental block that will not allow me to eat human flesh, but again I don't see why it's uncivilised. Food is food.


The problem with cannibalism is that once human flesh / meat becomes part of our food chain, people start to rely on it as a food source. During times of food shortages, you can no longer be certain that your neighbors will rather starve than hit you over the head and drag you into the pantry.

For the same reason, I wouldn't want my neighbors to eat cats and dogs, because I'd fear for my own pets.

Edited to add: Another problem with cannibalism is that young mammals usually taste better than old ones. At some point, somebody will get it into their head to try the human equivalent of roast suckling pig.


No different than eating a pig. Actually, a nickname for human flesh that I've heard is "long pig".

Also, when people are starving to death, they do eat each other. It happens. Survival instinct trumps morals every time.


I know. The word "long pig" has become quite popular on the internet, especially its German equivalent. If you happen to speak German, I would greatly discourage you from a Google search for "Langschwein", because the results are extremely disturbing. Mostly suicidal individuals and fetishists looking for someone to butcher them or eat certain parts of their body in front of them.

I have no idea why Germans in particular have such a sick fascination with cannibalism. I could imagine that the Rotenburg cannibal has inspired some of these disturbed individuals, and the fetish artwork of artists like Dolcett further normalizes their repugnant fantasies. Not that I'm pro censorship, mind you. But I think the more we relativize cannibalism, the more we encourage obsessed or deranged people like Armin Meiwes. At some point, consenting victims might no longer be enough for one of them.


So it is deranged to want to try human flesh? I don't see why? It's a little weird, that's all.

It would be deranged to murder someone to try human flesh.

I don't see the difference between this this and say... a rape fantasy. I can't see why anyone would want to outlaw rape roleplay (not actual rape, rape *roleplay* between consenting adults) so why would we outlaw surgically removing an amount of human flesh and eating it (which someone did on TV I recall)?


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