Society of the Snow
This clause contains discussions about cannibalism .
Warning : This article contains SPOILERS for Society of the Snow .
Summary
Netflix’sSociety of the Snowis based on thetrue story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 , andthe cannibalism within the narration has sparked public debate . On October 13 , 1972 , escape 571 crash - land in the Andes mountains on its path from Montevideo , Uruguay to Santiago , Chile . The flight had 45 mass on board . Nineteen were member of the Old Christians Club rugby union team , while the other passenger were their acquaintance and kinsfolk members .
After being strand for 72 days , 16 citizenry from the flight of stairs live and were rescued . With minimal food in the barren , hilly landscape , the survivor had to resort to eating the dead so as to survive . In the film and in real life , their act of cannibalism came with legal and ethical considerationsthat the survivor — and the public — had to writhe with .
guild of the Snowis streaming on Netflix .
What The Law Has To Say About Cannibalism – Is It Legal?
When considering whether they should wipe out their numb in edict to inhabit , the survivor inSociety of the Snowwrestle with the issue of whether cannibalism is illegal . It ’s difficult to determine Uruguayan laws that specifically mention cannibalism , if there are any . In several state , such as Germany and the United Kingdom , cannibalism is n’t necessarily illegal ( viaThe Guardian ) .
There are cases where the great unwashed from these countries engaged in cannibalism and were later arrest , but they were charged for the mean value by which they obtained human chassis ( usually murder ) , not for cannibalism specifically . Cannibals could also potentially be charged with preventing a sound burial , depending on the jurisdiction and laws . Whether cannibalism is illegal or not in the rugby squad ’s domicile country of Uruguay or in their terminus commonwealth of Chile , there ’s no indication that the survivors depicted in Society of the Snowwere ever charged with a crime .
Society of the Snow tells the incredible true narration of the Miracle of the Andes . Because the moving picture is so accurate , there are several graphic scenes .
Society Of The Snow’s Religious Dilemmas About Cannibalism Explained
InSociety of the Snow , the spiritual beliefs of the survivors are see in their prayers , church attending , and rosaries . This aligns with real life , as all the subsister of the flight of steps were papist Catholic . One reasonthe survivors in the film battle with the idea of use up thosewho died inSociety of the Snowis because they wonder if the act is sinfuland whether God will forgive them .
Not long after the survivor were rescued , two Catholic theological system professors spoke out in defense of the survivors ' cannibalism(viaThe New York Times ) . They explained that , while it ’s crucial in their faith to show respect for the dead , and run through human flesh would almost always be considered a violation of this , cannibalism is justified if there is no feasible or survivable choice . It ’s also interesting to look at the survivor ' action through the lens of Communion , also known as the Eucharist .
Common in Catholicism and other Christian religious belief , Communion is when someone eats bread and drinks wine as a religious act . The breadstuff and wine-colored symbolise the body and blood of Jesus Christ , who , according to Christianity , was crucified to aby for humanity ’s sins . Because of this , some have compared Communion to cannibalism ( viaClarifying Catholicism ) . In fact , one third of Catholics consider in transmutation , which is the belief that the Eucharist is literally the body and blood of Christ rather than being symbolic ( viaPew Research ) .
consider this and their religious beliefs , it make sense that somesurvivors of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 compared their consumption of human physique to the Eucharistin order to make peace with their action ( viaNational Catholic Register ) . It ’s also worth take note that some of the survivor consider the enactment to be anthropophagy rather than cannibalism . This staunch from the fact that they did n’t kill people to eat up them .
When the world first strike that the survivors had eaten their all in in Holy Order to be , it leave to backlash . In the rugger team survivors ' hometown of Montevideo , Uruguay , a rumor begin that they killed some of the subsister for feed them . These accusations compelled some survivor , like Carlos Páez , to speak out in their defense ( viaEl País):“This bothered us because it was n’t true … it raise doubts in the intellect of the families of the boys who die … Some cartridge clip enjoin we were cannibals . That ’s not true , because [ being a cannibal ] means killing another soul because you care to eat human form . We did n’t do that . ”
Páez also explain that he would have felt honored if his friends used his body to live if he had decease . Robert Canessa , another survivor , share a like opinion when he explicate that the radical made a pact that , if any of them died , the others could eat on them to live on ( viaNational Geographic ) . He said he would have been proud if his body helped his friends survive .
Canessa described how difficult it was to consume their all in . He aver he felt like he was invading his friends ' privacy by eating them and that the act itself was emotionally take exception . Ultimately , however , the survivors of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 wreck do n’t repent engage in cannibalismbecause it ’s what they needed to make it out of a terrible office alert ( viaNDTV World ) .
Páez excuse how it is n’t fair for people to pass judgment them because they would have died if they did n’t partake in it . He say that the people who pick apart them likely would have done the same if they were put in a similar , life - threatening situation . The fact that some survivors were able-bodied to compare the act to their friends being organ donors and to the Eucharist likely helped them consent what they needed to do in Holy Order to live . This controversy is at the bosom ofSociety of the Snow , and it ’s reignite standardised debates around the grouping ’s actions — but it ’s also cast light on the horror the radical underwent .
Source : The Guardian , The New York Times , Clarifying Catholicism , Pew Research , National Catholic Register , El País , National Geographic , NDTV World
Cast
