Fun fact about me (depending on your definition of fun) I’ve always been an avid reader and a huge horror fan. As such I’ve always been drawn to darker, traumatizing and thought provoking stories. A lot of people write off horror as mere trash but I have found some of the most stringent social commentary in horror. After all, isn’t reality the most horrifying part of life?
Currently, I’m reading Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. The subject matter is
definitely disturbing, written through a viewpoint that is dry and mostly emotionless. Personally, the nonchalance and casual cruelty of the characters has been the most horrifying part of the story.
You see, as meat has become inedible due to disease and the animals have been slaughtered wholesale, new and horrible ways of providing meat have been discovered. You guessed it, human meat. I mean, that’s the logical answer right? And just like that, some folks become food, some are left to starve and the wealthy continue to feast. (Sound familiar?)
The societal acceptance of eating other humans is chilling in it’s banality. It’s just another day. Slaughtering human cattle is just a job and it’s better to be at the table than on it.
If you haven’t picked up where I’m headed yet, stay with me, we’ll get there.
Author Agustina Bazterrica is very clear in her message and expresses it succinctly in an
interview with The Irish Times (Feb. 21, 2020) Bazterrica says “Objectivising and depersonalizing others allows us to remove them from the category of human being (our equal) and place them in the category of a mere “other”, whom we can be violent to, kill, discriminate against, hurt, etc.” She goes on to add, “Thus, we devour each other because we are generally blind to our kinship with others. When faced with their suffering, we look the other way.”
So… get to the point you say. Here we are: A well written horror novel always makes me
question myself and the world around me. Tender is the Flesh has had me questioning more than usual. It is clearly reflective of our dystopian reality.
Now I ask the questions. How long are we gonna watch the system devour us alive? How long are we gonna watch and wring our hands while our communities and our planet are dismantled and destroyed? People are going missing in droves. Our bodies and minds are forfeit. Our resources looted and sold back to us at top dollar.
When do we refuse to be at the table and flip it instead?
– BrwnMtnMothSquatch
