Surveys consistently show that the public has lost trust in traditional media. Are these stories what make us feel sick? “Cannibalism has a time and a place,” the New York Times wrote on Saturday. “Some recent books, films and shows suggest that the time is now. Can you stomach it?”
You mean seriously? You see this dreadful nonsense published by the nation’s most important newspaper? While it’s true that the train was not there when this article was written, The horror continues after this. “A spate of recent stomach-churning books, TV shows and films suggests we’ve never looked so delicious — to one another,” they report breathlessly.
Absolute trash.
The time and the place of cannibalism are different. According to recent films, shows and books, the moment is now. Is it possible? https://t.co/JzU1QRPYxV
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 23, 2022
In reverential and almost lustful tone, the article describes recent movies and books depicting cannibalism. “Turns out, cannibalism has a time and a place,” writes Reporter Alex Beggs. “In the pages of some recent stomach-churning books, and on television and film screens, Ms. [Chelsea] Summers and others suggest that that time is now.”
No, it’s not. It’s really not. Here’s one example of the fine prose in the article:
Still to come is “Bones and All,” starring Timothée Chalamet. It is about young love and its transformation into a desire for human consumption. The film will be available later in the year or early next. Its director, Luca Guadagnino, has called the story “extremely romantic.”
This sounds like Romeo and Juliet. Stephen King had fun with the creepy article, tweeting, “I’m thinking of a cannibalism rom-com called WHEN HARRY ATE SALLY.”
This is a good one. But could something else be going on? What on earth would make you write a line like, “turns out, cannibalism has a time and a place?” Writer Summers is the author of “A Certain Hunger,” a book about a “restaurant critic with a taste for flesh.” The Times piece included the strange tidbit that her dog was vomiting in the background during their interview with her. It begs the question: What was she feeding it? She thinks it’s all about capitalism:
Summers believes that cannibalistic plots are a commentary on capitalism in general. “Cannibalism is about consumption and it’s about burning up from the inside in order to exist,” she said. “Burnout is essentially over-consuming yourself, your own energy, your own will to survive, your sleep schedule, your eating schedule, your body.”
The Times isn’t the only newspaper printing strange and macabre stories in July—when they’d be perhaps better suited for Halloween. And it’s not just figurative cannibalism that’s being pitched:
Cannes awarded the AWARD to a Vegan Burger that tasted like HUMAN MEAT.
This is not a joke.
Fake meat is being used to normalize the flavor of human flesh and tell you not to eat beef.
These parasites will make fun of you. pic.twitter.com/VNyAZMo5f7
— Maajid أبو عمّار (@MaajidNawaz) June 30, 2022
The Wall Street Journal did not let this be enough. It published a piece about how much fun it can be to build your own coffin.
Are you looking for DIY projects? Make your coffin! “We just had so much fun.” https://t.co/HUO65M0RAI
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 25, 2022
Think I’m going to paint the door instead.
I’m not such a prude that I haven’t sat through the occasional horror movie where some creeps in the woods eat lost backpackers. There are also some very good books that explore the dark side of survival, most notably the 1975 book “Live!” and the 1993 movie of the same name that followed the struggles of an Uruguayan rugby team that crashed into the snow-covered Andes. It’s a gripping, though troubling, read.
The NY Times article on cannibalism is what bothers me the most. It’s more their unbridled joy in it and the unspoken, but evident way that they actually practice it. PromoteThe practice. With lines like “we’ve never looked so delicious—to one another,” it seems like the author is gleefully awaiting the opportunity to give it a try. This writer looks like a customer to the vegan burger which tastes just like flesh.
Was the Wall Street Journal article about coffins interesting? This article will help me train my next puppy.
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