# Carnivorism: what? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2021, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340 "2021-01-24T03:24:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/42 "2021-01-24T15:53:17Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Interestingly enough, that was precisely the reaction of one researcher who found himself stalked by a tiger. His immediate reaction was, how dare it! Doesn’t it realize who I am? On second thought he realized the cat understood exactly what he was. Lunch! Slow feeble easy warm lunch! See also [![](https://peaydesigns.com/images/Coffee%20Mug%20-%20Far%20Side%20Polar%20Bear%20Crunchy.jpg) ](https://peaydesigns.com/images/Coffee%20Mug%20-%20Far%20Side%20Polar%20Bear%20Crunchy.jpg) and [![](https://i.imgflip.com/35t39o.jpg) ](https://i.imgflip.com/35t39o.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/43 "2021-01-24T16:00:20Z")
Tigers, wolves and bears I can kinda understand, but a man eating plant I’d have problems with. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/44 "2021-01-24T16:07:50Z")
> [@Which is more insulting: To be killed by wildlife or weather?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-insulting-to-be-killed-by-wildlife-or-weather/537943/1): > > I think if I was to find myself being eaten by a shark, thrashed by a tornado, or … How many of you all felt compelled to say “Sharknado!” out loud when you read this? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/45 "2021-01-24T16:09:20Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6sM8pDH-HMc/hqdefault.jpg "Vegetarian Lion") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sM8pDH-HMc) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/46 "2021-01-24T16:10:09Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Tigers, wolves and bears I can kinda understand, but a man eating plant I’d have problems with. - It’s not like it can chase you. Unless it’s a [Triffid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triffid). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/47 "2021-01-24T16:20:11Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I’m hoping that the cats will eat my face when I die. Do you mean after you die? If you’re not clear on this, you shouldn’t blame the cats for any misunderstandings that occur. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/48 "2021-01-24T16:21:19Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > > [@Crane](#): > > > > Tigers, wolves and bears I can kinda understand, but a man eating plant I’d have problems with. - > > It’s not like it can chase you. Unless it’s a [Triffid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triffid). Forget thee not the Audrey II: > **[Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Shop_of_Horrors_(film))** > > Little Shop of Horrors is a 1986 American horror comedy musical film directed by Frank Oz. It is an adaptation of the 1982 off-Broadway musical of the same name by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, which is itself an adaptation of the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors by director Roger Corman. The film, which centers on a floral shop worker who discovers a sentient carnivorous plant that feeds on human blood, stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and ... Feed me, Seymour! Or is that “Feed me Seymour!” ?? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/49 "2021-01-24T16:28:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Feed me, Seymour! Or is that “Feed me Seymour!” ?? - He’s a florist AND a dessert topping. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/50 "2021-01-24T16:32:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@susan](#): > > > > I’m hoping that the cats will eat my face when I die. > > Do you mean after you die? > > If you’re not clear on this, you shouldn’t blame the cats for any misunderstandings that occur. Yeah. Cats’ command of English is sketchy at best. As is their adherence to owner edicts. I predict this business will end badly for our dear @susan. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/51 "2021-01-24T16:39:24Z")
“We ate her face when she died. It’s what she wanted.” “What did she die of?” “Having her face eaten.” ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/52 "2021-01-24T16:47:22Z")
Perhaps it’s a matter of - saving face. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/53 "2021-01-24T16:54:32Z")
> [@cantelope](#): > > This isn’t true, however, your cat needs the basic constituents of a complete protein. The microbiome will adapt. It’s not the microbiome, it’s the entire digestive system. Not to mention that if predation stopped we’d all long since have been smothered in, among other things, mice. It’s not only the entire digestive system: it’s the entire ecological system. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Here’s an 11 year old thread of mine that’s sorta on-point. Haven’t read the thread, just the title (which discourse doesn’t make easy to quote); but I wouldn’t find it insulting to be killed by either wildlife or weather. Unpleasant, quite probably; but not insulting. Under most circumstances I’d find it insulting to be killed by another human, though. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/54 "2021-01-24T17:27:58Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Not to mention that if predation stopped we’d all long since have been smothered in, among other things, mice. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Under most circumstances I’d find it insulting to be killed by another human, though. I think I’d be insulted, and find it rather unpleasant, if I died from being smothered in mice. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/55 "2021-01-24T17:33:34Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I think I’d be insulted, and find it rather unpleasant, if I died from being smothered in mice. What if it’s angora mice? [![](https://petmiceblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Long-Haired-Mouse-Information-and-Facts.jpg) ](https://petmiceblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Long-Haired-Mouse-Information-and-Facts.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/56 "2021-01-24T17:40:04Z")
Someone did a YouTube video on this once. The Earth after 100,000+ years of no death resulted in layers of living insects hundreds of miles thick, living animals hundreds of miles thick, living humans hundreds of miles thick. (Although that wasn’t just no carnivorism, but no _death_, period.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/57 "2021-01-24T17:47:14Z")
A mole of moles. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/58 "2021-01-24T17:48:35Z")
Okay, maybe a bit less unpleasant, but still insulting. > [@Velocity](#): > > The Earth after 100,000+ years of no death resulted in layers of living insects hundreds of miles thick, living animals hundreds of miles thick, living humans hundreds of miles thick. Hmm, a completely different meaning to being an apex animal. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/59 "2021-01-24T17:48:54Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > A mole of moles. A moose mousse. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/60 "2021-01-24T18:09:16Z")
Well, lots of snark is pretty on-brand for this board. I think I said some other things, but fundamentally it seems like you misunderstand the nature of collective action problems. “Why do carnivores exist if animals could just agree not to be carnivores?” has the same answer as “why do bank robbers exist if we could just all agree not to rob banks?” There are individual advantages to not agreeing is why. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340/61 "2021-01-24T18:15:33Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > A mole of moles. And yet you skipped the [**obligatory link**](https://what-if.xkcd.com/4/). I’ve done the needful here for those non-cognoscenti in our midst. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnivorism-what/931340.md?page=4)