If someone voluntarily agrees to be the victim of cannibalism, should the initiator be tried for murder? It sounds ridiculous and strange, but a jury in Germany is asking itself that question.
Armin Meiwes, a 41-year-old computer techician, advertised on the web that he was looking for someone who was willing to be the victim of his fantasy of cannibalism.
The responder, 43-year-old Bernd-Jurgen Brandes, agreed to have his penis cut off and it was then served flamb to him, before he was stabbed repeatedly in the neck and then dismembered and partially eaten by Meiwes.
Cannibalism is considered an offense under German laws. This will be a hard case to prosecute because the victim allegedly volunteered, so it couldn’t have been murder.
Meiwes captured the nauseating act on film and it is supposed to be introduced as evidence for his defense.
“I had the fantasy, and in the end I fulfilled it,” Meiwes said.
He openly admits to a crime of cannibalism and is going to be tried for murder, but I see it differently. Brandes responded to an Internet ad. He even agreed to have his male genitalia cut off and fed to him as his last meal.
It seems a bit creepy that someone would be willing to do so. If you ask me, anyone willing to eat his or her own reproductive organs should be committed to a mental facility to keep from potentially jeopardizing the freedom of someone who may want to commit such acts.
Meiwes even commented that Brandes was a friend and said he enjoyed his death, leading me to believe that they both may have been homosexual. Meiwes was specific in what type of victim he was searching for; a well-built male, possibly a blond.
It’s almost as if it were a crude sexual fantasy or strange need. Obviously, for Meiwes it was a need. After Brandes responded to his advertisement and the act was complete, he later placed another ad. An Austrian student came across the ad on the Internet and led authorities to him.
Cannibalism has been around for centuries, mostly as a form of punishment, revenge, lack of limited food sources or a ritual performed by the families of the deceased to preserve the soul of the dead. Cannibialism is still practiced in some parts of the world.
A group of 90 to 100 immigrants had to resort to cannibalism in a snowstorm in order to survive. They were caught in the Sierra Nevada range in California in October 1846.
Survivors of a 1970s airline crash in the Andes resorted cannibalism to survive.
We know it exists, but we never mention it or take the time to learn about it. Yet, if you were in a life-or-death situation, you might not think twice about indulging yourself into the gruesome act of cannibalism. Some would do what is necessary to survive.
Meiwes chose to feast on a man in a situation that didn’t involve any life or death circumstances. He simply acted on a childhood fantasy.
I’m reminded of nature’s wildlife. Black widows mate, then kill and eat their companion. It leads me to believe that it may be possible that we too have this animalistic nature, but because of how cannibalism is frowned upon in society, we force ourselves to reject or neglect any instinct of this nature.
Meiwes should face the consequences of his actions. Whether it was murder or aided suicide, I don’t know. I just know that if I were in a situation where I had to eat another human being or face my own death, I would choose death.
