Hey there, tiktakers! Today we have a video for you that’s a bit bloody,
as we'll be talking about cannibalism. That's right, we know that such a simple word can send
shivers down your spine, and even make you feel sick… Tik over here is about to throw up!
Cannibalism is the practice of eating members of the same species, whether we are talking about
humans or other animals. However, the term "cannibalism" is usually used referring
directly to humans, although the more accurate term in that case would be "anthropophagy".
The origin of the expression "cannibal" dates back to the times when the Spaniards first reached the
American continent. They were surprised when they learned that the indígenous tribes would use human
flesh for different rituals and sacred ceremonies, where the victims were used as offerings to their
gods. They adopted the indigenous word, and from it came the term "cannibal".
And this wasn't just an isolated tradition in certain parts of the world:
Archaeologists have found evidence that cannibalism in the human genealogical tree
dates back to at least 800.000 years ago. And even though the cutting and biting marks found
on human bones cannot reveal the motivations of the cannibals, these ancient remains do
offer proof for the existence of cannibalistic practices throughout all of human evolution.
For instance, at the Gran Dolina trench in Spain, the dismembered remains of bisons,
sheep and deer were mixed with the remains of more or less 11 humans,
all of them children and teenagers, whose bones showed signs of cannibalism.
Now, all of this is just unthinkable stuff to us tiktakers, and it's no wonder why nowadays
all forms of cannibalism are punished by the law. Among the reasons why a human being could act
in this way nowadays are: Extreme starvation, mental disorders, or participating in a sect.
In recent history, there have been cases of individuals who were forced
to commit cannibalism under extreme circumstances:
One of such cases took place in 1972 at the Andean Mountains. A plane with Uruguayan rugby players
fell on a mountain, and the survivors had to eat some of the dead passengers in order to survive.
There are also records of people with mental disorders who ended up committing cannibalism,
such as Dorángel Vargas, a serial killer and cannibal
who operated in Venezuela in the late 90s.
And now tiktakers, if we actually stop to analyze the concept of cannibalism…
it pretty much goes against the logical order of nature:
For instance, if a wolf eats members of its same species, then wolves would end up going extinct,
and the species they control would end up greatly increasing their population.
It's clear that cannibalism is not a pleasant topic, and it is pretty scary… which has been an
inspiration for many authors who have implemented this practice in their series, movies and books.
One example is Jonathan Demme (démi) in The Silence of the Lambs, and Ridley (rídli) Scott
in the movie Hánnibal, featuring the blood-thirsty human-eater Hannibal Lecter.
Have you watched any of these movies, tiktakers? Please share with us your
favorite horror movies in the comments. We look forward to checking them out!