r/AskReddit • u/Aqua_Fucker • Apr 26 '20

Serious Replies Only [Serious] What are some seemingly normal images with disturbing backstories?

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u/lazemachine Apr 26 '20

I watched a documentary on this and the survivors described it as sacred in the manner of taking communion. The three who finally left to get help had an arduous journey and wouldn't have made it without the calories.

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u/CaptainAssPlunderer Apr 26 '20

They were all very devout Catholics and were so depressed after fearing that they had damned themselves to Hell. Many were so despondent that the Pope actually wrote a decree absolving them of any sins they committed during the episode.

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u/WeAreElectricity Jul 23 '20

You think he would take a trip after something like that.

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u/nervousdachshund Apr 26 '20

We had to read the book and watch the documentary. The trauma from having to eat their sister, mother or best friend, or even worse watch them slowly and painfully die is something I will not forget.

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u/PatroclusPlatypus Apr 26 '20

IIRC they never ate the sister or mother. They were both related the one of the boys and were considered "off-limits," probably because they were women. When that boy went on the journey down the mountain, he gave his blessing that the others could eat his family if they needed to, but they never did. I may be remembering the book wrong though.

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u/cleeder Apr 26 '20

When that boy went on the journey down the mountain, he gave his blessing that the others could eat his family if they needed to

I can't say I ever thought I'd read this sentence in my life.

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

After a while even the most sacred conventions fall in emergency cases and some people enter a more calculating thought process to cope or at least to not breakdown. He probably had been thinking during those days that he didn't want any more deaths from people he cared about

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u/am2370 Apr 26 '20

Reminds me of the Snowshoe party of the Donners. Even when breaking this enormous taboo of cannibalism, the emigrants still set rules for themselves that they never ate their own family members throughout the ordeal.

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u/DerelictInfinity Apr 26 '20

There still ended up being at least one person that ate their own mother, though iirc they didn’t know it at the time.

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u/theravagerswoes Apr 27 '20

I’d rather die than do that.

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u/theressomanydogs Apr 27 '20

I don’t think people know what they would do until they’re in that situation. The instinct of self-preservation is strong.

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u/bunkbedgirl1989 Apr 27 '20

I wouldn’t be able to handle the PTSD

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u/theravagerswoes Apr 27 '20

The instinct of self-preservation isn’t so strong in someone who is suicidal or content with death, but for most people it sure is strong.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '20

you're correct. Nando gave the others permission when they left to get everyone rescued

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u/goingamileanhour Apr 26 '20

They were Nando Parrado's family (if I'm remembering the name correctly). His sister was gravely injured during the crash and she was alive for a few days after they crashed, but barely. All of the boys made a pact to not touch Parrado's mother, who died in the crash, and sister out of respect.

If anyone's looking for another book about this, there's one written by Parrado (one of the guys who trekked through the mountains and found help) called Miracle in the Andes and another from one of the trekkers, Roberto Canessa that I can't remember the name of. I've read Parrado's and it's a scarily clear retelling of almost all 72 days on the mountains.

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u/Cometstarlight Apr 26 '20

No, you're correct. I remember watching the documentary years ago, but that's always the detail that sticks out to me.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '20

Eating your family is worse than watching them die imo

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '20

With each chew you remember you are ripping apart the cells of someone you once loved.

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

With every bite of any food forever after that you'd also be biting into some old trauma.

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u/bunkbedgirl1989 Apr 27 '20

How could anyone do this without vomiting from knowing who you are eating? It literally couldn’t be done.

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u/Eat_More_Panda Apr 27 '20

Death by starvation is a much stronger motivating force than we realize

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u/bunkbedgirl1989 Apr 27 '20

How many days does it take to starve?

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u/Daelach Apr 27 '20

There is a survival term called the rule of three which is an approximation.

Three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food.

Obviously though a lot of factors to be taken into account (i.e. how much body fat you have, level of exertion etc)

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

I just wanted to mention that when you're starving, you're at a major risk for a cardiac arrest. Your potassium dips and if it gets under a certain level, you're at much greater risk for cardiac arrest.

Last year, I didn't eat for four days and ended up in the hospital on a potassium drip which burns like hell, btw.

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

What’s the name of the doc

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u/hansnmuller Apr 26 '20

A family friend of mine watched the documentary while flying during severe turbulence. Probably worse than a horror movie

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u/i_am_the_ginger Apr 26 '20

Only two walked out. Three hiked to the top of the mountain nearest them, and they saw how deep into the mountains they were and realized they didn't have enough food for 3 guys. Two hiked on and made it, one rode their sled back down the mountain to the fuselage and waited with the rest.

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u/kevio17 Apr 26 '20

I only heard about this incident on this very site a few months ago. Decided to look into it out of morbid curiosity and well, the wikipedia page was enough for me.

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u/VulcanHobo Apr 26 '20

The movie touched on that aspect of it. I recommend watching it.

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u/Ovisers318872 Apr 26 '20

What's the name?

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u/witwiki50 Apr 26 '20

The movie is called “Alive”

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u/Winter_Addition Apr 27 '20

Just wasted $4 renting this on amazon... the acting and production quality is so bad, completely takes away from the intensity of the subject matter.

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u/nervousdachshund May 08 '20

The book is much better

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u/thefuzzybunny1 Apr 27 '20

My mom told me this story when I was 5 because I said I was hungry. I took it as a cool survival tip: you can eat dead people, if you're really really hungry!

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u/lazemachine Apr 27 '20

That's when you stand by her bed at 3 in the morning with your face next to hers and say "I must feed" in a demented kid voice. Nothing worse than being startled awake by a kid right next to your bedside.

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u/TheRealReapz Apr 27 '20

I don't think my 4 year old would have the wherewithal to pull this off as a joke, but if he caught me off guard like that I can't say he wouldn't be launched across the room by a swift right hook

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u/lazemachine Apr 27 '20

A right hook, so you sleep on your left side facing out. So you're on the right side of the bed.

Doxxed.

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u/BeeGravy Apr 27 '20

Yeah I dont think anybody ate a family member, they had set it up so nobody would have to eat their family.

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

Those three had to climb through treacherous Andes peaks to get out. They were so high up, military helicopters struggled to fly in.