Consensual Cannibalism In The 21st Century

Consensual cannibalism: a contemporary topic that remains a slightly taboo subject due to the lack of exploration. This is evident in that there are little to no definitions available for consensual cannibalism that depict exactly what it is. However, the name is straightforward, with it being synonymous to a type of cannibalism that includes consent. In other words, it is an act of cannibalism in which a person has the permission to eat another human being. There are few recorded incidents of this in history, yet in the past few decades various cases have popped up throughout the world. A catalyst for this increase is the new technology available in our ever-changing world. These modern day advances, primarily the media and the internet, have …show more content…
Most people of the past viewed cannibalistic acts as those that barbaric people only participated in. Therefore, the idea that cannibalism could be considered consensual and good was not even a thought. This view is not drastically different in the 21st century, but it has made its way into the main forms of media.
Germany
In March of 2001, the first case of its kind popped up in a small town in Germany. In this instance, a man, Armin Meiwes, killed and ate parts of another man, Bernd Brandes (“Interview with a Cannibal,” 2016). Immediately this appears to be a cold-blooded murder, yet that was not the case. The act was completely consensual. Meiwes had been looking for someone to eat and Brandes wanted someone to eat him, wanting to fulfill his own fantasies (“Interview with a Cannibal,” 2016). This case remains infamous in the small town of Rotenburg, Germany and throughout the entire world. The many strange aspects of the story contribute to its …show more content…
It starts with an asexual man, Mao Sugiyama, who had his genitalia removed after his 22nd birthday (Cooper, 2012). An asexual person does not have a desire to have sex and some may elect to have their genitalia removed. This was exactly the case for Sugiyama, who freely had a genitalia-removal surgery (Campbell, 2012). However, he did not stop at just having them removed. On the 8th of April he decided to post on Twitter an interesting message (Campbell, 2012). The tweet, originally in Japanese, translates to, “I am offering my male genitals (full penis, testes, scrotum) as a meal for 100,000 yen (£800). I’m Japanese. The organs were surgically removed at age 22. I was tested to be free of venereal diseases. The organs were of normal function. I was not receiving female hormone treatment. First interested buyer will get them, or I will also consider selling to a group. Will prepare and cook as the buyer requests, at his chosen location. If you have questions, please contact me by DM or e-mail” (Cooper, 2012). This tweet has since been deleted, although Sugiyama did receive enough responses to go through with his