History Main / CarnivoreConfusion

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[[caption-width-right:350:When the phrase "[[ImAHumanitarian you are what you eat]]" [[LiteralMetaphor is taken a little too literally]].]]

* More recent works will use this aspect for social commentary (''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'', etc.). YMMV on how well they do.

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There's an [[ElephantInTheLivingRoom unspoken awkward issue]] in fiction involving {{Talking Animal}}s. If everyone can talk, and everyone at least implicitly has the same thoughts and feelings as everyone else regardless of species, does this mean predatory creatures are forced to [[SapientEatSapient engage in a form of murder to eat?]] Or is it more like ''cannibalism?'' And then [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman what happens when]] [[LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy human characters are added into the mix]]? Let's not get started on AnthropomorphicFood...

* Similar to the option immediately above, some works such as ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' and the ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' novels make it clear that [[FurryConfusion only some of the animals have human-like intelligence, while others are normal animals]]. In some fiction, there are explicit differences between the anthropomorphic and normal members of the same species — bipedality, speech, clothing, etc. It's okay for a talking lion to eat a non-talking deer, but eating a talking deer would be tantamount to cannibalism, even for a human.

-->-- '''Timon''', ''Disney/TheLionKing''

* Sometimes your heroes are predatory animals. Now carnivores are okay, so [[ScavengersAreScum scavengers]] often become the [[VillainByDefault Villains By Default]]. The usual ethos is that only evil weirdos eat carrion, and only cowards do not hunt. They will be depicted as ugly and intimidating. Often the carnivorous heroes will [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything never be seen actually killing and/or eating another animal.]] Example: ''Disney/TheLionKing''.[[note]]Non-exclusive scavenging and predation is rarely used in fiction. In RealLife, lions scavenge off hyena kills more often than vice versa.[[/note]]

* ''WebAnimation/LucasTheSpider'' subverts this with the titular spider. At first, Bzzt (a housefly) is terrified that Lucas (a jumping spider) will attempt to eat him. Luckily for Bzzt, the friendly Lucas turns out to be one of the [[ShownTheirWork herbivorous species of jumping spider.]]

* More recent works will use this aspect for social commentary (''WesternAnimation/Zootopia'', ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'', etc.). YMMV on how well they do.

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Numerous Equestrian species like mermares and griffins are at the least omnivores, but their is seen as a very big difference between eating non-sapient animals or fish and other sapient beings.

* [[InvertedTrope Invert]] most of the above examples by making the prey totally unlikable. The cat gets double satisfaction when eating that {{jerkass}} rat, as not only is he delicious, he also deserves it.

* The prey is suicidal and wants to end his/her life. The suicidal prey does this by waiting to be caught by the predator or walking/running/crawling/slithering flying into the predator’s mouth/beak. The predator, who would likely eat nonsuicidal prey, doesn’t want to eat the suicidal prey.

* By far the most common approach, especially in older fiction, is the PredatorsAreMean subtrope. All your heroes are herbivores. All the villains are carnivores à la TheBigBadWolf from the Three Little Pigs.[[note]]In RealLife, pigs and wolves are both omnivores, eating both plants and other animals. Wolves will prey upon pigs, but only to the extent that they would prey on other organisms, e.g. it would be rewarding and they could pull it off without getting themselves killed.[[/note]] This subtrope is so strong culturally that people assume RealLife predators are mean, evil, and nasty, and all the herbivores are cute, cuddly, and friendly. Anyone with any knowledge of real animal behavior knows that's not the case at all; some herbivores like rhinos and hippos can be ''extremely'' aggressive, while social predators (wolves, orcas, etc.) can be tamed, trained, and even become companions - this is why domesticated dogs and cats, in real life, even ''exist'' in their modern forms.

* An increasingly popular option in fiction has been to render the carnivore's prey in a realistic, [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute non-cute manner]]. The prey does not talk -- the prey is not humanized in any way. [[NoCartoonFish Fish]], in particular, are nearly always a viable mealtime option, unless they're major characters. Invertebrates of all kinds usually get a pass as well, again with the exception of times where [[WesternAnimation/ABugsLife they are the main characters]].
* Similar to the option immediately above, some works such as ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' and the ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' novels make it clear that [[FurryConfusion only some of the animals have human-like intelligence, while others are normal animals]]. In some fiction, there are explicit differences between the anthropomorphic and normal members of the same species -- bipedality, speech, clothing, etc. It's okay for a talking lion to eat a non-talking deer, but eating a talking deer would be tantamount to cannibalism, even for a human.
* Establish that the carnivore is unlucky ([[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Wile E. Coyote]]) or that their chosen prey is too fast or aggressive to catch -- for example, Jerry of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry''. This makes the point moot, since we never see the predator eat.

* CarnivoreConfusion/WebComics

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

[[folder:Theater]]

** Generation 1 characters were generally somewhat [[CivilizedAnimal civilized animals]], and generally acted like horses that just happened to talk and live in castles, and occasionally wear clothes. Various non-pony species were also portrayed as sentient in G1. Almost everything they ate - whether it popcorn or grass - was normally something a vegetarian could... yet there's a pony named Munchy, who has pictures of hot dogs and hamburgers all over her body, and her card refers to ponies ''eating'' hot dogs.[[note]][[RealityIsUnrealistic Surprisingly, horses will happily eat hot dogs and burgers in real life.]][[/note]] If that same backcard story is any indication, Munchy simply transforms things into junk food via magic, thereby sidestepping the whole issue.

* In ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', Wilie the baby wolf seems to think of the goats as friends and treats them accordingly, and yet he doesn't have any problem with his parents Wolffy and Wolnie wanting to eat the goats.

[[folder:Myth & Religion]]

* TheBible: historically some theologians have proposed that the animals in the Garden of Eden were all herbivores, with meat-eating being a result of the Fall.