So the New York Times ran a trend piece today about cannibalism. Well, to be more precise, about an assortment of recent novels and films and TV shows that use cannibalism as a plot device. The piece, I shouldn’t have to say, is in no way, shape or form, a call for real-world cannibalism. Indeed, writer Alex Beggs points out that even the concept of cannibalism can be “stomach-churning,” and notes that several of the authors she spoke to had managed to seriously gross themselves out writing the cannibal portion of their novels.
So, nothing there about how best to barbecue your aunt Helen.
The piece nonetheless raised the ire of right-wingers online and in the media who reacted as though the Times had run a cannibalism how-to, complete with diagrams and recipes.
“Demons at NY Times Are Now Pushing Cannibalism,” a headline at the Gateway Pundit declared. “Twitter disgusted by New York Times piece suggesting there’s a ‘time and place’ for ‘cannibalism'” reported Fox News in a headline of its own that completely misrepresentied the original Times story.
On Twitter, a vast army of people who had clearly not read the article took aim at the Times for supposedly “normalizing” people eating.
Yeah, none of that is happening.
It’s infuriating to see an article so thoroughly misrepresented as Beggs’ has been. But the Times, and the mainstream press in general, needs to learn how to read the room a lot better.
Surely whoever wrote the headlines for Begg’s piece knew — or should have known — that it would be picked up by right-wing flying monkey squads who would have no problem assuming that the evil Demon-crats really would advocate, if not actively practice,” cannibalism. And then you get more cynical sorts who know that “interpretation” of the piece is utterly bogus but have no trouble spreading the disinformation anyway, knowing that a good portion of their readers will believe the worst about the NYT and its readers.
Maybe there is “a time and a place” if not for cannibalism itself than for articles like this. Right now, with those on the right wantonly embracing conspiracy theories as fact, may not be such a good time.
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@ gss ex-noob
They should have ate him. Whilst saying “Are you familiar with the sociology term ‘labelling theory’?”
Bu as to your other point, in my baby barrister days I used to do a lot of first appearances at a court near Heathrow Airport; for what are known as ‘swallowers’.
So you’d be in court as the prosecutor was drafting the indictment.
“The Defendant is charged with smuggling 7 packets of heroin…”
Muffled shout from cells
“…9 packets of heroin.”
Ah the glamour of the law. It’s just like in the movies.
@ Snowberry
“Can you consent to down-grading your sapience?”
I’d say yes, because some drugs already do that. I’m on, among other things, Gabapentin and Tramadol for chronic pain, both effectively down-grade my sapience. Honestly it’s rather frightening, especially as if I’m having a good day pain-wise I don’t need the Tramadol and I think far more clearly. Of course bad pain also makes it difficult to think, so I’m stuck either way. However I consented to be prescribed both medicines, and I did read the possible side effects before I first took them, so maybe that answers your question?
@Snowberry:
Exactly as much consideration as Nazis should generally get, for that’s what “I don’t consent to living in a society that also contains those people” always amounts to, ultimately.
It’s ubiquitous. Any time people get treated as things, this rears its ugly head. Consider domestic violence: “I don’t consent to my wife deviating from my imaginary Stepford Wife version of them.”
Also already happens. “Trans panic”, “gay panic”, and of course DV that culminates in murdering the insufficiently-Stepford wife. Not to mention all the cases of “I don’t consent to my child deviating from my imaginary neurotypical version of them”. And there are a lot of them:
https://people.com/crime/tennessee-father-murdered-son-autism-body-remains-missing/
https://www.wndu.com/2022/06/09/michigan-parents-arrested-murder-autistic-child/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10464473/Man-stabbed-mother-26-autistic-son-nine-death-convicted.html
…
That last one even combines lethal DV against the wife with murdering a non-neurotypical child.
People who think their wishful thinking trumps other people’s autonomy are dangerous.
My cynical side suspects that they wrote the headline on purpose to generate clickbait. Any attention is good attention
@Alan: Just as glamourous as the cop shows, as I told here the tale of the Vagisil Bandits.
When my brother was at U. of Colorado, the student grill was called “The Alferd G. Packer Memorial Grill”. I had a not-bad burger there a couple times.
@ gss ex-noob
Court was more fun back then…
“Stand up, Alferd Packer, you voracious, man-eating son of a bitch. There were seven Democrats in Hinsdale County, and you ate five of them.
I sentence you to hang until you are dead, dead, dead as a warning against reducing the Democratic population of the state.”