History Main / ImAHumanitarian

* OurGhoulsAreCreepier: Cannibalistic monsters that feast on the flesh of corpses.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Blood-drinkers of all sorts.

[[caption-width-right:265:I'm having a friend for dinner.]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:I'm having a friend for dinner.]]

[[quoteright:253:[[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BabyEating.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:253:[[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic You know, when you said we were having the other white meat, this isn't what I had in mind.]]]]

TruthInTelevision (including [[NatureIsNotNice nature red in tooth and claw]] -- according to Website/TheOtherWiki, more than 1500 species are known eaters of their own), and often so [[NightmareFuel disturbing]] we ask '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' [[noreallife]]

[[quoteright:265:[[VideoGame/Fallout76 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dcbbad24_2ed6_4e68_9776_454c19cb29ef.png]]]]

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[[quoteright:253:[[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BabyEating.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:253:[[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic You know, when you said we were having the other white meat, this isn't what I had in mind.]]]]

TruthInTelevision (including [[NatureIsNotNice nature red in tooth and claw]] -- according to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, more than 1500 species are known eaters of their own), and often so [[NightmareFuel disturbing]] we ask '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' [[noreallife]]

* FoodChainOfEvil: Monsters who eat other types of monsters.

* MantisMatingMeal: Sexual cannibalism by female praying mantises.
* MonstrousCannibalism: When monstrous creatures eat their own kind.

* {{Ouroboros}}: A symbol of a serpent eating itself.

No, [[WellThisIsNotThatTrope this trope]] [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant is not about]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarianism humanitarianism.]] Quite the opposite, in fact.

A mostly DiscreditedTrope (see ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'' for an exception) is a variation that portrays members of non-European societies as cannibalistic, often attempting to [[CapturedByCannibals cook visiting Europeans in a pot]]. See CannibalFilm for the {{Exploitation|Film}} subgenre based on this.

In SpeculativeFiction, cannibalism is generally extended to include eating all sapient or humanoid creatures, even if they aren't technically eating their own species. Any species that includes humans (or other humanoids) [[ToServeMan in its diet]] is usually portrayed as [[AlwaysChaoticEvil villainous]], as is any species that routinely [[MonstrousCannibalism eats members of its own social group]]. Likewise, humans treating other sapient species as food are rarely treated sympathetically (unless WhatMeasureIsANonHuman is in effect). If an alien or monster race make a practice of eating their own (as well as or instead of humans), then we have a case of MonstrousCannibalism.

[[OurZombiesAreDifferent To various]] [[NoZombieCannibals degrees]], anthropophagy[[note]]This, and related, terms are technically more appropriate than "cannibalism" for a non-human species that eats humans. It's actually more common for works to get this wrong than for them to get it right, possibly because Greek is no longer commonly taught and therefore "anthropophage" just doesn't have that same ''frisson'' of terror that "cannibal" does.[[/note]] is usually expected of ZombieMooks.

As an interesting side note, whether you can be criminally charged with cannibalism (in the United States at least). Only 16 of the 50 states have laws that explicitly make eating other people illegal. The other 34 tend to handle such cases under the purview of laws dealing with desecration or molestation of dead bodies.

A subtrope of IAteWhat and HumanResources. Can also involve CarnivoreConfusion without furries (or maybe with furries - see the paragraph on SpeculativeFiction above.) See ToServeMan for when aliens and monsters find us tasty. PickyPeopleEater and BrainFood is for those not interested in mere muscles. See also LetsMeetTheMeat. Compare NoPartyLikeADonnerParty, in which persons are forced into cannibalism due to starvation, or TheSecretOfLongPorkPies, for when someone is unknowingly tricked into it. And when you get down to the bitter dregs, there's {{Autocannibalism}}. Also see FatteningTheVictim, where people are fattened before being eaten.

Note that this trope applies to non-humans who are sentient or otherwise capable of independent thought or communication even if they only eat their own kind. Likewise, this trope is ''not'' about anyone eating humans. It's about ''cannibalism''.

TruthInTelevision (including Nature red in tooth and claw — according to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, more than 1500 species are known eaters of their own), and often so [[NightmareFuel disturbing]] we ask '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' [[noreallife]]

* ArtificialCannibalism: The act of eating [[ArtificialMeat synthetic or simulated]] human meat, e.g. vegan zombies or cartoon predators going vegetarian.

* BrainFood: Eating brains. This is often a [[OurZombiesAreDifferent walking corpse]]'s favorite body part.
* CannibalClan: A family of cannibals, e.g. the Beane clan.
* CannibalismSuperpower: Someone [[PowerCopying takes on someone else's superpowers]] by eating them, e.g. Kirby.
* CannibalLarder: Where a cannibal keeps their "leftovers". For example, the remains of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims were kept in his fridge.
* CannibalTribe: A group of people who eat other people. Unlike CannibalClan, they don’t have to be related.

* ConsumingPassion: Devouring someone is treated as sexual or arousing, either by a character or implied by the work, such as vore art.
* CookingTheLiveMeal: Cartoonish depiction of cannibalism in which the victim gets prepared as food alive.
* DevouredByTheHorde: Someone is eaten by a group of people. This is common in zombie movies.

* EatingTheEnemy: If you can't beat them, ''just eat them''!

* EatsBabies: They have a specific preference for infants.
* EatTheRich: When starving peasants eat wealthy people.

* HighClassCannibal: Rich people are cannibals.

* KillThePoor: If one decides to take Creator/JonathanSwift's ''Literature/AModestProposal'' way too literally.

* LifeDrinker: When the predator drains {{life energy}} from the prey.
* LiteralManeater: A [[FemmeFatale female]] [[TheVamp monster]] who seduces unwitting human men before eating them.

* StewedAlive: A character gets put into a cooking soup while still alive, e.g. in the Bugs Bunny cartoons.

->''For what's that sound of the world out there?''\\
''That crunching noise that's pervading the air?''\\
''It's man devouring man, my dear--''\\
''And who are we to deny it in here?''

Cannibalism is considered one of the greatest taboos, so, naturally, it's become a trope. One idea which stands out is that human flesh is superficially similar to swine flesh, hence [[DeadlyEuphemism the nickname "long pig" and the phrase "eating the long pork"]]. [[note]]It's also sometimes called "the other white meat", but it is, in fact, red, as all mammalian meat is.[[/note]] [[https://www.wired.com/2006/11/robot-identifie/ A robot designed to taste wine corroborates this idea.]] Thus, it should be delicious, which is reflected both in Franchise/HannibalLecter's [[WickedCultured gourmet tastes]], and in the idea in ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd'' that pies with this ingredient would sell like hotcakes. Or hot pies.

Cannibalism is considered one of the greatest taboos, so, naturally, it's become a trope. One idea which stands out is that human flesh is superficially similar to swine flesh, hence the nickname "long pig" and the phrase "eating the long pork". [[note]]It's also sometimes called "the other white meat", but it is, in fact, red, as all mammalian meat is.[[/note]] [[https://www.wired.com/2006/11/robot-identifie/ A robot designed to taste wine corroborates this idea.]] Thus, it should be delicious, which is reflected both in Franchise/HannibalLecter's [[WickedCultured gourmet tastes]], and in the idea in ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd'' that pies with this ingredient would sell like hotcakes. Or hot pies.

->For what's that sound of the world out there?\\
That crunching noise that's pervading the air?\\
It's man devouring man, my dear--\\
And who are we to deny it in here?

->''"The number of incidents of the use of human flesh in cooking decreased this month to 56."''
-->-- '''NKVD (Police) Archive for the Leningrad District''', [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII June 1942]]

* YouAreWhoYouEat: Some can even [[VoluntaryShapeshifting take on the appearance]] of whoever they ate, e.g. The Visitor.