A recent article at the New York Times garnered deserved outrage amongst social media platforms for its endorsements of cannibalism, but that's a logical extension of several of the narratives that have become accepted within our broken society. We need to re-examine how we got here.
Another great piece Sarah, you've had a few humdingers recently.
Like yourself, I am a British immigrant to the US and while I'm not sure if your experience has been the same as mine, it seems to me that the primary mode of assault on the American psyche has been to deride the notion of thinking within a moral framework. Don't get me wrong, that is true most everywhere, but here (at least within my admittedly limited experienced), it seems as though the process is quite a bit further down the road. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a comment upon Americans; in fact, I’d go as far as to say that it’s evidence of their uncommon decency that, before they can be conquered, they must first be bombarded with unprecedented amounts of porn, feminism, and other degeneracies you've outlined. But the sad fact is that most people anywhere are just not given to conceptualising things in moral terms, and although they might genuinely desire to be good, honorable, and so forth, few actually have the emotional fortitude to recognize that the right thing to do is generally not the same thing as the easiest.
Good point. The Left cannot prevent itself from becoming brittle and nastily self-righteous. That particular combination prevents the Left from being funny or employing irony. That is why they cannot meme very well. Leftist ideologues are too busy finding reasons to be outraged enough to deny the humanity, character, and even civil rights of those who entertain contray opinions. What does that make them? Well, I might refer to H. L. Mencken's line about Puritans, but he was factually unfair about that group as a whole. But progressives and feminists do bear a resemblance to a certain group of Puritans, the ones whom progressives have rightly denounced for sexism and and legal injustice for over 250 years--the Salem Witch Hunters. This is ironic, but it is true. So, how many progressives, feminists, and Salem Witch Hunters does it take to denounce and accuse innocent citizens of crimes that these citizens have never committed? Though the answer is still not funny, Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and the FBI have a slightly different rhetorical answer. Denouncing their critics just as vehemently as Witch Hunters denounced those who questioned "spectral evidence" to convict the accused during the Salem trials, this sorry group of public servants simply say, "Who are you to question your government? You are simply fascists for even bringing this up. You have a lot of nerve to criticize the FBI, the Justice Department, and the President. Why, one might get the idea that you have a Constitutional right to do that. So, get ready for an IRS audit."
Well said, Sarah. I can hardly wait to hear what voices from the Progressive Christianity might say about this topic. Well, perhaps, that is not true. The idea of "pious" voices comparing the actual eating of the dead to the Eucharist in not something I would really look forward to hearing. But I am sure someone in clerical garb or a professor from a religious studies department will make that connection. Such people will, I suspect, claim that this was the real meaning of the Last Supper--cannibalism to save the earth.
In Soylent Green, which was set in 2022, as you point out, the idea that the Soylent Company was turning human corpses into food was still regarded by the public as horrifically shocking. That is what gave the story its punch. Even the characters in the film found the knowledge that "Soylent Green is people" unendurable. The story's theatrical release was in 1973, so the movie, itself, is now fifty years old. It is not clear to me that the public is as horrified today by the idea as it was a half-century ago--the backlash to the NYT's article notwithstanding. In a popular culture that places emotional choice above biological realities, that cannot seem to define what a woman is, that celebrates the barbarism of abortion, and that mindlessly embraces the motto "love is love" as if it were a rational proposition, can the mottos "meat is meat" or "I see dead people for dinner" be that far behind? Given this social trajectory, the question "What's eating you?" may soon become quite literal and not metaphorical. In fact, a Swedish economics professor and researcher, Magnus Soderlund, believes that eating human meat derived from the dead would be a swell way to fight climate change.
From the standpoint of philosophical materialism, in which human beings are seen as no more than matter in motion, the idea of repurposing cadavers for the menu may even appear to be rational and practical. Magnus Soderlund proves that contention. All we need is a really good sounding excuse to feed on the dead. Climate change certainly fits the bill and promises to draw people to the table--each holding his or her fork and steak knife with self-righteous anticipation. Where does that leave us? Well, the idea of human value and dignity is being pushed ever closer to a precipice. Civilization will not survive the fall onto the rocks below. But the new dark ages, I suspect, will come with its own set of specialty cookbooks focusing on the preparation of what Pacific Islanders called Long Pig. In that new reality, perhaps, Magnus Soderlund will become that age's Emeril Lagasse.
What was the chief moment of horror in "Soylent Green?" It was not the moment we realized that the nutritional cracker was made of humans, we realize that fairly early. The moment of true horror is when we witness Heston's character shout, "Soylent Green is human meat!" and no one cares.
Yeah, I read that article. It really bothered me that this sort of this is so mainstream now. First it was Marina Abramović's spirit cooking, then Lady Gaga's participation therein, now the public glorification of cannibalism. Not to mention the fact that every man, woman, and child on earth knows about Epstein and the pedophile political elite and yet nothing is done about any of it. Dark times.
The essay topic is interesting because it's bizarre. Leftist/liberal extremism is anathema. This piece is a perfect example of far left warped thinking. I have enjoyed the Crusader Gal's videos immensely.
"To see man as food, one must no longer see him as man. And painfully, this is where we find ourselves."
This entire article is so thoughtfully and beautifully written but that one stark truth quoted above sums up the essence. And for me, the truth is that as America has fallen from God and Godly values, we fail to value much of anything of eternal worth. We become no better than the animals, yet the Bible (Gods' word for us) tells us He created us in His image, He created us male and female. But daily we see these truths rejected and along with them the resulting consequences of that rejection, such as the idea of man as food.
Another great piece Sarah, you've had a few humdingers recently.
Like yourself, I am a British immigrant to the US and while I'm not sure if your experience has been the same as mine, it seems to me that the primary mode of assault on the American psyche has been to deride the notion of thinking within a moral framework. Don't get me wrong, that is true most everywhere, but here (at least within my admittedly limited experienced), it seems as though the process is quite a bit further down the road. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a comment upon Americans; in fact, I’d go as far as to say that it’s evidence of their uncommon decency that, before they can be conquered, they must first be bombarded with unprecedented amounts of porn, feminism, and other degeneracies you've outlined. But the sad fact is that most people anywhere are just not given to conceptualising things in moral terms, and although they might genuinely desire to be good, honorable, and so forth, few actually have the emotional fortitude to recognize that the right thing to do is generally not the same thing as the easiest.
Humorists could find plenty of material here.
I am reminded of the punch line to the joke:
How many feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. "That's not funny."
Good point. The Left cannot prevent itself from becoming brittle and nastily self-righteous. That particular combination prevents the Left from being funny or employing irony. That is why they cannot meme very well. Leftist ideologues are too busy finding reasons to be outraged enough to deny the humanity, character, and even civil rights of those who entertain contray opinions. What does that make them? Well, I might refer to H. L. Mencken's line about Puritans, but he was factually unfair about that group as a whole. But progressives and feminists do bear a resemblance to a certain group of Puritans, the ones whom progressives have rightly denounced for sexism and and legal injustice for over 250 years--the Salem Witch Hunters. This is ironic, but it is true. So, how many progressives, feminists, and Salem Witch Hunters does it take to denounce and accuse innocent citizens of crimes that these citizens have never committed? Though the answer is still not funny, Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and the FBI have a slightly different rhetorical answer. Denouncing their critics just as vehemently as Witch Hunters denounced those who questioned "spectral evidence" to convict the accused during the Salem trials, this sorry group of public servants simply say, "Who are you to question your government? You are simply fascists for even bringing this up. You have a lot of nerve to criticize the FBI, the Justice Department, and the President. Why, one might get the idea that you have a Constitutional right to do that. So, get ready for an IRS audit."
How many German engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: NICHTS! Wenn die Glühbirne richtig konstruiert wurde! (NONE! If the lightbulb was engineered properly!
TIP: don't tell a German engineer this joke.
Psychiatrists?
Not that many.
Only one actually, but the light bulb really has to want to change.
Well said, Sarah. I can hardly wait to hear what voices from the Progressive Christianity might say about this topic. Well, perhaps, that is not true. The idea of "pious" voices comparing the actual eating of the dead to the Eucharist in not something I would really look forward to hearing. But I am sure someone in clerical garb or a professor from a religious studies department will make that connection. Such people will, I suspect, claim that this was the real meaning of the Last Supper--cannibalism to save the earth.
In Soylent Green, which was set in 2022, as you point out, the idea that the Soylent Company was turning human corpses into food was still regarded by the public as horrifically shocking. That is what gave the story its punch. Even the characters in the film found the knowledge that "Soylent Green is people" unendurable. The story's theatrical release was in 1973, so the movie, itself, is now fifty years old. It is not clear to me that the public is as horrified today by the idea as it was a half-century ago--the backlash to the NYT's article notwithstanding. In a popular culture that places emotional choice above biological realities, that cannot seem to define what a woman is, that celebrates the barbarism of abortion, and that mindlessly embraces the motto "love is love" as if it were a rational proposition, can the mottos "meat is meat" or "I see dead people for dinner" be that far behind? Given this social trajectory, the question "What's eating you?" may soon become quite literal and not metaphorical. In fact, a Swedish economics professor and researcher, Magnus Soderlund, believes that eating human meat derived from the dead would be a swell way to fight climate change.
From the standpoint of philosophical materialism, in which human beings are seen as no more than matter in motion, the idea of repurposing cadavers for the menu may even appear to be rational and practical. Magnus Soderlund proves that contention. All we need is a really good sounding excuse to feed on the dead. Climate change certainly fits the bill and promises to draw people to the table--each holding his or her fork and steak knife with self-righteous anticipation. Where does that leave us? Well, the idea of human value and dignity is being pushed ever closer to a precipice. Civilization will not survive the fall onto the rocks below. But the new dark ages, I suspect, will come with its own set of specialty cookbooks focusing on the preparation of what Pacific Islanders called Long Pig. In that new reality, perhaps, Magnus Soderlund will become that age's Emeril Lagasse.
Sarah, you’re just so true. We are learning not to care.
https://themillenniumreport.com/2016/12/how-is-it-that-human-meat-is-showing-up-in-the-restaurant-chain-food-supply/
Well, done, Ms. Cain.
What was the chief moment of horror in "Soylent Green?" It was not the moment we realized that the nutritional cracker was made of humans, we realize that fairly early. The moment of true horror is when we witness Heston's character shout, "Soylent Green is human meat!" and no one cares.
Vale
Yeah, I read that article. It really bothered me that this sort of this is so mainstream now. First it was Marina Abramović's spirit cooking, then Lady Gaga's participation therein, now the public glorification of cannibalism. Not to mention the fact that every man, woman, and child on earth knows about Epstein and the pedophile political elite and yet nothing is done about any of it. Dark times.
The essay topic is interesting because it's bizarre. Leftist/liberal extremism is anathema. This piece is a perfect example of far left warped thinking. I have enjoyed the Crusader Gal's videos immensely.
"To see man as food, one must no longer see him as man. And painfully, this is where we find ourselves."
This entire article is so thoughtfully and beautifully written but that one stark truth quoted above sums up the essence. And for me, the truth is that as America has fallen from God and Godly values, we fail to value much of anything of eternal worth. We become no better than the animals, yet the Bible (Gods' word for us) tells us He created us in His image, He created us male and female. But daily we see these truths rejected and along with them the resulting consequences of that rejection, such as the idea of man as food.
Revolting, evil, Godless!!