Where are the ethics?
by BenthamiteFebruary 14th, 2009 at 7:26 AM
Filed under: News Story Commentary, Other Discursive Dialogue
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In a May 08 news story titled, “'Uncontacted tribe' sighted in Amazon,” the National Indian Foundation stated that “[uncivilized Indians tribes] are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed or decimated by new diseases.” This article supplied the following photos of an alleged tribe of hominoids from the Amazon jungle that have never before been discovered or contacted by the outside world. Supposedly, they are just one of more than 100 uncontacted tribes, which are protected by Peruvian and Brazilian agencies that insist that “The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct.”   During the recent campaign, I recall John McCain saying that Afghanistan was a land that “hasn’t been governed since Alexander the Great.”  That was probably the funniest thing I heard in a while, and I couldn’t have laughed harder. Well, what was conceptually funny then is actually truer than I imagined elsewhere in the world. The uncontacted Amazon Indian tribes of Brazil make the news every now and then, and what’s interesting is that the most recent coverage depicts them as cannibals: Brazil police investigating killing, alleged cannibalism case on Amazon Indian reservation. Now, although this is just one account of cannibalism, which is being disputed by Indian protection agencies, if thousands of counts were later discovered, like in the case of an estranged serial killer, would it then be our responsibility to push the protection agencies aside and in fact govern this land also?  In theory, isn’t this what we’ve done for the Middle East, as John McCain cleverly put it. Furthermore, a deeper question exists, which is Why would the world, for the most part, encase a group of hominoids, which are humans, as if they were wild jungle creatures? Or, is that the point---they are wild jungle creatures! Where are the ethics? (I guess that’s what I’m having difficulty analyzing.) From a contrary point of view, does our reluctance to contact these tribes suggest an uncertainly towards the value of civilized life? The ethics in this situation are puzzling. |
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Interesting concepts. The ethics issue brings up a couple points. You can see how these people are humans just like the rest of us. But comparing the cannibalism to the behaviors of jungle creatures makes them seem, well, more like jungle creatures. Cannibalism itself is an very interesting topic and one that is not understood fully. I've researched it a little and have come up with no sufficient explanation to "justify" it. Some information on cannibalism in other animals:
"Animals usually avoid cannibalism, but not because of any ethical or moral imperative; although consuming the flesh of one’s species mates offers a useful source of nutrients, it is also likely to contribute to the spread of pathogens, and, therefore disease. However, a number of studies over the past decade have revealed that cannibalism is surprisingly widespread across the animal kingdom. Groups that occasionally eat members of their own species range from lowly protozoa, slime molds, and sea slugs to insects, spiders, fish, reptiles (including
dinosaurs; dinosaur bones have been found bearing the teeth marks of their kind), amphibians, birds, and at least 100 species of mammals, such as hamsters, rats, squirrels, bats, seals and sea lions, otters, polar and
grizzly bears, lions, tigers, and chimpanzees."
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/sharkland/animal-cannibalism/1946/
My thoughts, though I know little about this subject, are that it's not terribly beneficial for humans because of the risks associated with pathogens. Muscle tissue would have less risks, so I would assume it would be more common. Soft tissues in organs are probably extremely dangerous, and I'm 99% sure eating human brains will quickly lead to the development of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Eating brains of other animals isn't good for you either. Because of this, I feel that cannibalism in humans is likely for social, rather than nutritional reasons. It was likely used as an effective deterrent in wars; knowing that you were
facing an army of soldiers who would actually cook and eat you probably had a hell of an effect. That being said, I can't really pass judgment on these people good or bad because I don't feel like I know enough about
cannibalism and the above could be wrong.
However, it is a remnant of our past and one that makes a great many people insecure. Collectively as a society there is an urge to eradicate that behavior; this is because on a very deep level it threatens peoples' security. After all, if a person who is just like us genetically (~99.6%) is a cannibal, it means that you and I aren't actually that 'evolved' ourselves. The grim truth is that we aren't. In fact, we're all about 4 steps away from being savages. Look at what happened during Katrina or any case where society broke down.
As for whether or not we should contact these people, that issue I'd have to talk to you in person about, there's a lot to say.
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The butchers caroused and sometimes squabbled over the joints; the men danced in the clearing and sang with joy at having seen the suffering of the Cariri. So it would go, they warned, with any who dared gnaw the bones of Tupiniquin.(erroluys.com/BrazilKindleGuide.htm)
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References
Visit (http://www.newsday.com)
'Uncontacted tribe' sighted in Amazon (CNN.com)
Visit (http://www.cnn.com)
Amazon Indians accused of cannibalizing farmer (CNN.com)
Visit (http://www.cnn.com)
BRAZIL — The Illustrated Kindle Guide (erroluys.com)
Visit (http://www.erroluys.com)
Awesome article! I agree. Why exclude them from the world outside theirs. Why does anybody want to deny them this right? What interest do you have? I mean, are we that bad that you don't want them exposed to this side of humanity? If they are still practising cannibalism, then, we need to teach them different. By the way, we have to stop showcasing human beings this way.