Cannibalism and Ethics

This post is a vague follow up to my last.  I have often struggled with the question of ethics.  It is easier just to say that everyone has their own set of beliefs that they adhere to and follow.

This is not where I have a problem, it is only when you get into the nitty gritty of the matter that I really start having internal conflict.

I really, really want to believe that people have different customs and beliefs where they live and grow and inside of their own family.  I also believe that generally speaking that we would all be a lot better off if we all accepted these customs and ways of life without grimacing at them.  I am willing to concede that there are some customs that people around the world keep that are terrible and devastating to their own people and are completely inhumane.  Take a look at Nascar, country music and cannibalism.  Of course I’m just kidding about cannibalism. 

Speaking of cannibalism, I have yet to eat my fellow man. Unless you count that time I might have eaten a finger out of my KFC double down, I couldn’t tell though if it was a finger or my brain trying to give me a heart attack while trying to finish the sandwich (Note, I did not actually eat a double down sandwich).  Cannibalism is one of the great taboos of our culture.  If you had a Hannibal Lecter who was not a cannibal, then he might be a lesser villain, yet because he eats people- now that is a terror to truly behold.  He is an abomination in the back of our minds, a crazed maniac who would kill and eat you without batting an eye.  He looks at other people as cattle, a cut of meat.  The twist with Hannibal is that he only eats people that he deems worthy.  Basically, he holds people up to a strict standard of humanity and if they fail to perform to that benchmark then he dehumanizes them and eats them.  In a way, he enforces his ethics through cannibalism.

In many ways he kills and eats for the same reasons as cannibal tribes.  (I'm not an expert on this matter, and am making this judgment based off an interview I saw on the Colbert Report)  But I get the impression that cannibals eat not because they look at someone and say "Man, he would go well with some mustard and ketchup and a little relish"  but because the person has been accused of some misfortune that has befallen the tribe.  They use cannibalism as a form of social order or an ethical balance.

Anyway, back to the original topic.  Are there certain universal truths we should adhere to? My answer, yes.  We should love each other and ourselves and do no harm to others or ourselves.  Now the real trick of the matter, defining what harm is.  I will use an old proverb passed down from the Regan Administration, if you give the corporations money then they will “trickle down” onto you…  Wait, that’s not what I was looking for.  What I was meaning to say is: Take a recovering alcoholic.  If you persuade one to go out drinking then I believe that is a form of harm; however, drinking on its own isn’t bad.

Top 10 cannibal jokes

1. When do cannibals leave the table? When everyone's eaten.
2. What do cannibals make out of politicians? Bologna sandwiches.
3. Why was the cannibal expelled from school? Because he kept buttering up the teacher.
4. How did the cannibal turn over a new leaf? He became a vegetarian.
5. Why do cannibals make suitcases out of people’s heads? Because they're headcases.
6. Two cannibals were having their dinner. One said to the other “I don’t like your friend.” The other one said, “Well, put him to one side and just eat the vegetables.”
7. What is a cannibal's favorite type of TV show? A celebrity roast.
8. Two men in Africa were apprehended by a tribe of very hostile cannibals who put them in a large pot of water, build a huge fire under it, and left them there. A few minutes later, one of the men started to laugh uncontrollably. The other man was incredulous, and said, "What's wrong with you? We're being boiled alive! They're going to eat us! What could possibly be funny at a time like this?"  The laughing man said, "I just peed in their soup!"
9. What do cannibals call athletes? Fast Food!
10. A cannibal entered the meat market to buy something nice for dinner. The owner greeted him and told him to look around. The cannibal began to inspect the meat case and noticed the market specialized in brain.
    Upon further inspection he noticed a marked disparity between the costs of brain meats. A carpenter's brain sells for $1.50 per pound. A plumber's brain sells for $2.25 per pound. He noticed with alarm that a politician's brain sells for $375.00 a pound. With not a little curiosity he asked the owner why the huge difference in price between the similar meats.
    The owner responded with a deadpan look on his face, "Do you realize how many politicians it takes to get a pound of brains?