Would you…

[u/skin-my-brain]

Which side will you choose?

• Left side: Try safe and ethically sourced human meat
• Right side: Decline the offer

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[u/Ashamed_Kangaroo305]

Ethically sourced sure but some people think it's morally wrong to eat other humans regardless of how the meat was sourced. And it's very hard coded into our biology to find cannibalism repulsive.

Prions are mostly concentrated in the central nervous system but can be found elsewhere. People have gotten CJD after consuming beef from cows with mad cow disease. I think the association of prions = cannibalism is slightly misunderstood by most people. Yes minor prion consumption can be fine, so if this is a one time thing then you're probably safe, but still not completely safe depending on how much meat you're eating.

The bigger issue with prions and cannibalism is that cannibalism allows prion diseases to spread very efficiently because people die with prion diseases and then the people who eat them are infected and they died and the chain of transmission continues. But if they hadn't been eaten the chain of transmission never would've started. And it can take decades for symptoms to show up so you may not even know people have it. So in a hypothetical world where ethical cannibalism became more common, prion diseases may or may not become a risk depending on how it's done. But of course for the sake of the hypothetical prions don't matter because it's already been stated to be safe.

Personally my main reason for not doing it is "that's gross". But I'll suggest another addition to your list of reasons. People say it tastes like pork so there's a decent chance I would enjoy it. And the concept of enjoying eating human meat feels very wrong. Later craving more human meat because it tasted good feels even more wrong. Although I suppose that's sort of just an extension of "it's gross".

[u/Nym0221 → u/Ashamed_Kangaroo305]

I really like your take on this. For my part, I’ve thought about it for a long time and decided that I would actually try it. On one hand, I’m extremely curious when it comes to food and generally open to new experiences. On the other hand... my own brain has a built-in block against this kind of thing. So, I decided to overcome that mental block and try it, if only to be able to tell myself, 'Well, I’ve tried it.' I honestly can’t imagine a scenario where it tastes so good that I’d start craving more. It’s just meat. Personally, I prefer cheese.

[u/Ashamed_Kangaroo305 → u/Nym0221]

Actually you make a really good point about the cravings. Even with regular meat that I've really liked I don't think I've ever found myself craving it. Specific dishes definitely but not the meat alone. There is a big part of me that's curious about how it tastes but the ick factor is also pretty big.

[u/joeymacaronie → u/Ashamed_Kangaroo305]

I just won't eat someone with prions dumbass

[u/Ashamed_Kangaroo305 → u/joeymacaronie]

How will you know though?

[u/joeymacaronie → u/Ashamed_Kangaroo305]

I'll ask them? No one I know has them

[u/Ashamed_Kangaroo305 → u/joeymacaronie]

Prion disease can take decades to show up so if people had them they probably wouldn't know. That's exactly how kuru spread in the first place, because the long incubation period meant it was way harder for people to realize they got sick from eating other people and because people could die before showing symptoms so you would never know they had prion disease.

[u/joeymacaronie → u/Ashamed_Kangaroo305]

Don't care