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Cannibals Are Not Zombies By

Diana Aguilar

7/16/13

Cannibal: n. a person who eats human flesh, especially for magical or religious purposes, as among certain tribal peoples. Any animal that eats its own kind (Dictionary). Zombie: a. the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose (Dictionary). According to these definitions, if a cannibal is a person who eats human flesh, whether for magical purposes or otherwise, then it cannot be assumed the same person is a zombie. In order to perform said magical or religious actions, the person has to be cognitive. Such rituals require a preparation process and the consciousness that cannibalism is being performed. If a zombie is a deceased person given the appearance of life, it cannot possibly reason to commit cannibalism since it has no will of its own. Since we have not experienced a zombie apocalypse yet, which has been documented and proven, we can assume that everything we think we know about zombies, is a portrayal from books, movies, and television. Anthropophagy, the clinical term for cannibalism, is likely older than civilization which is divided into two broad categories, according to How Cannibalism Works (2). One can learn cannibalism or one can be accustomed to it. A person can also resort to cannibalism for means of survival, which may be instinctive. Although disturbing and gruesome, survival cannibalism is most easily forgiven in the minds of Westerners, for example in the case of the Donner Party. Taking a shortcut through the Sierra Nevada, a group of 89 settlers broke off from the original party and got stranded in the mountains. Enduring a harsh winter, they were faced with starvation, and with their food resources depleted, they turned to cannibalism to survive. Cannibalism seems like a logical

procedure after all available resources, whether foodstuff or otherwise, have depleted. Cannibalism branches into even broader categories, which are learned cannibalism: Endocannibalism and Exocannibalism. Endocannibalism is defined as the consumption of the flesh of a person who is a member of the consumer's kin group (How Cannibalism Works, 3). Endocannibalism can be based on family, society, culture, tribe, or any type of in-group. This practice can also be expressed as honoring the dead or the pursuit of gaining some aspect of the person, such as their strength or wisdom. In some tribes, for example The Fore peoples of Papua New Guinea, cannibalism is part of a funerary rite, in which women and children largely partake in the activity among deceased Fore males. Certain relations are allowed to consume certain body parts, for example, a woman...ate the brain of her dead brother. A sister-in-law ate the hands of her husband's dead brother or the buttocks (3). Exocannibalism is a type of learned cannibalism which can be established on hate, rage, disdain, humiliation (3). This practice is not concerned with funerary rites or lineage continuation, as more often Exocannibalism is based on the consumption of human flesh in order to terrify a group, steal the life force of another or simply to eat. Can these characteristics be found in zombies? More often not, as they are not self-aware. Haitian zombies, for example, are mindless slaves, who are not self-aware and not extremely dangerous, unless fed salt, which restores their senses (How Zombies Work, 1). Dr. Wade Davis traveled through Haiti as part of the Zombie Project in hopes of discovering what caused Haitian Zombies. He theorized that a drug was responsible for zombie occurrences. According for local folklore, a sorcerer captures a victim's part of the soul directly connected to an individual, to create a zombie (2). Davis discovered that the sorcerer used complex powders, mainly made from ground plants and animals, which he collected samples of in four regions of Haiti. The ingredients in the powders were not identical, however, seven of the eight samples collected had some common ingredients: species of puffer fish which contained neurotoxins, marine toad, hyla tree frog, human remains. The powder is supposed to cause near death upon a person, but with the right antidote, the

victim could be brought back, however their memory would be skewed and the victim could be enslaved; as per a six part documentary presented by Vice: Investigating the Haitian Zombie, where they speak to Dr. Wade Davis (Vice, YouTube). Although the host travels to Haiti to attempt to prove Dr. Wade Davis' theory, he is swindled by the locals and given an inactive powder as determined by Chemist Jason Wallach. The host, Hamilton, states within the magical belief system of Haiti, zombification would be possible in the absence of any active drug, that is to say, the pure power of their belief in magic could produce a self-induced, psychological zombification (Vice, YouTube). Whether zombification is a placebo or magical occurrence, it is uncertain. It is important to acknowledge that Haitians believe in magic as a form of religion. Regardless if the victim is poisoned or the individual is led to believe he or she is a zombie, the outcome is the same; they have no free will. How could a zombie know what he or she is doing, even if he or she went on a rampage through out the town to harvest some delectable brains, if he or she has no control over themselves? Cannibals are well aware they are feasting upon a lifeless body, whether for respect, to strike fear, or just to eat. Cannibals at least get full after eating some body parts and save the rest for dinner. If what we believe about zombies, which were created as fictional characters, is true, then they would never be full and would feast upon humanity for the sake of spreading whatever virus they carry; which again, since the virus has taken control over their anatomy, they are unaware they're doing any harm. You simply cannot classify a cannibal as a zombie.

Works Cited

"Cannibal." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. Clark, Josh. "How Cannibalism Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., 25 Aug. 2008. Web. 22 July 2013. Morris, Hamilton. "Investigating the Haitian Zombie (Part 1/6)." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 July 2013. Wilson, Tracy V. "How Zombies Work." HowStuffWorks. N.p., 28 Oct. 2005. Web. 22 July 2013. "Zombie." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 22 July 2013.

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