A deeper view on cannibalism

ARMIN Meiwes is a German who was internationally infamous due to killing and eating a voluntary victim he had found via internet.

Meiwes killed his victim, identified as Bernd Jurgen Armando Brandes, and ate a large amount of the flesh for a year.

His first penalty was eight and a half years of imprisonment until it was re-trialled and was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

What could have caused Meiwes' way of cannibalizing? Do cannibals still exist in this modern world? Is Meiwes to be blamed for all his actions?

Meiwes was left by his father at such young age, leaving the mother as the dominant parent. In psychological point of view, Erik Erikson's theory on gender identity versus identity confusion, having a female as his only authority might have changed his sexual preference. Being so attached with his mother and lacking a father figure seemed to make him feminine. That's what made him choose a homosexual victim Armando Brandes.

Having a strict authoritarian mother, Meiwes was a misunderstood and lonely child. For this, he created an imaginary friend named "Franky" whom he vented out his cannibalistic thoughts. His mother would often scold him in public making him a silent-type of boy. As a child, he was a loner. This made him want to eat his friends as a child to make them part of him and that he wouldn't be lonely anymore.

Professor Stolpmann described Meiwes as "extremely smug and self-assured" and as having a "schizoid personality" but said he detected no indication of mental illness.

Cannibals still exist in our society today. As what Meiwes mentioned, there are over 800 cannibals in Germany alone. In the internet site that he used in finding willing victims, there are several cannibals in there. Even in certain tribes like in Papua New Guinea, the practice still exists.

Tribes do it for tribal norms. In a civilized world they do it for pleasure (sometimes sexual), urges, necessity, and other psychological reasons. The people who do this are considered mentally ill although the devouring of human flesh isn't formally listed as a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (a book used by Psychiatrists in diagnosing a person with a psychological disorder).

Having his family background, can we say that he was just a victim of a depressed childhood? Having a sad and lonely life could have been the reason why he turned into a cannibal.

His personal background must have been the reason for his criminal act, his weak personality combined with the external factors such as parent abandonment and upbringing. Moreover his irrational cannibalistic thoughts were triggered by an opportunity with the willing victim.

There is no definite law against cannibalism yet. This is considered a taboo. But in Armin's case, he killed his victim which made him face life imprisonment. In the eye of the law, a person's background is disregarded and only the means and results are considered.

Are there cannibals lurking in the Philippines? Do they still exist nowadays?

In Philippine history on cannibalism, there are only very few reports. One is Fernand dela Vega, a 26-year-old guy who butchered and ate both his parents (56-year-old father and 66-year-old mother). The murder happened in their house in Capiz way back in 2009.

Just this year, there was news about a Filipina cannibal who ate his husband and female friends. This happened in Indonesia. Even in prison, the suspect stated that if she would be given a chance she would still continue eating human flesh because she is enjoying it.

Probably the most infamous cannibal in the Philippines is Norberto Manero. Who haven't heard that name? When a person is asked about him, human brain eater is directly associated with him. Manero allegedly brutally shot an Italian priest and even ate the portions of his brain. After years in prison, Manero was released in 2008.

When does cannibalism start in the Philippines? Did Corazon "ang unang aswang" start this? Corazon was a movie about a Filipina who ate babies in their village. Her story, folklore or real, is considered cannibalism. Though in her case, she was close to mentally ill. She may be considered as folklore since there was no hard evidence that she really existed unless otherwise proven by facts.

But looking through our history, some Filipino tribes used to practice headhunting and cannibalism several years ago. The practice was stopped because of religion (mostly Christianity) and civilized teachings.

Cannibalism nowadays is extremely rare in the Philippines so the public shouldn't be scared or worried. But still, people should be cautious because there is still a chance that a person might be triggered to have a taste of a human flesh.  SunStar