WARNING: Some NSFW content ahead.
Are humans just naturally morbid? Many of us watch scary movies or spend our evenings reading about serial killers on Wikipedia.
If you were to ask Professor Glenn Sparks from the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University, he'd tell you that our morbid curiosity with gross or unnerving subjects "goes back to the initiation rites of our tribal ancestors, where the entrance to manhood was associated with hardship."
Regardless of where this curiosity stems, social mores often dictate that asking questions about morbid topics is insensitive and inappropriate.
That's why it's interesting that people were able to ask their questions openly thanks to Redditor InkBlooded, who asked the online community,
"What is your most morbid question that you've always been afraid to ask?"
"What does..."
"What does decomposing dead body smell like?"
"I shouldn't have asked this question."
freshavoqadoo
To which this person answered:
"It has this sickly sweet smell to it. Like rotting fruit but definitely a putrid death smell. I don't know how to describe it. Sometimes if it's fresh and you can smell the blood too."
"Either way not fun."
lighningspider97
"When people get gravely injured..."
"When people get gravely injured, say, severed in half or their brain is exposed, do they know that they're going to die or is their body just spazzing out?"
1BoiledPackage
And here came someone with an excellent response:
"It depends on the injury. Some are awake and alert and in lots of pain, others are nearly numb to it."
"I witnessed a motorcycle crash. The person had a huge, open head injury with part of their brain exposed."
"Those of us who stopped to help tried to do what we could. The guy who had the injury said it felt like he fell and hit his head. He was in and out of consciousness, but said it didnt hurt. He was kind of numb to the pain."
"He took his own helmet off and looked in the motorcycle's mirror and saw his brain coming out. (It is literally the consistency of jello or toothpaste with a membrane around it). He said, 'I see my brain. I'm going to die. I thought it would hurt more.'"
"Then he closed his eyes and never regained consciousness."
TREND-PRECURSOR
"Parents of adult children..."
" Parents of adult children: Do you find your son, and/or daughter physically ugly?"
MTV_Challenge_Fan
A parent offered this response:
"Coming from a parent: you will know your kids aren't 'unconditionally perfect' but you will love them with all your heart anyway."
"And some of those imperfections will feel like they're your fault. (Like having a picky eater–if only I had been more diligent about variety when they were a toddler). So you will love your kids more because you screwed up, not in spite of it."
AHappyHeretic
"How does it feel..."
"How does it feel to watch someone die?"
Gr1ning
Someone offered this response:
"It depends on whether it’s expected or not. I sat with my grandma as she took her last breath. It was very peaceful. I wouldn’t trade that moment with her for anything."
"I hope she felt me there and knew she wasn’t alone."
-4twenty-
"I've always wanted to ask someone..."
"I've always wanted to ask someone in the armed forces how many people they have killed, not to make them look horrible, just out of curiosity. I know that you never ever ask someone in the armed forces that though and I respect it enough not to ask someone."
YurakHuntmate
This person offered up a memory of their father:
"My Dad was in World War Two. And when I found out I was naturally curious. I was maybe 7 and asked if he had killed anyone. He answered yes. Then I asked how many? He got a little upset and said, 'I don't know and I don't want to know.'"
"He then told me about how awful war is and how it's real people getting killed. It wasn't like the movies. He said I could still play with army men and toy guns, but to remember it's just play and that real war is horrible."
"Decades later my brother in law who was in Vietnam told me that he and my Dad talked a lot about their experiences. He said my Dad had confided in him that he had killed "many many men." I guess my Dad could only share the truth with another vet."
GrandUnhappy9211
"Why wouldn't it be legal..."
"Why wouldn't it be legal for my family to just bury me in a loved one's backyard? No coffin, no frivolity, just leave me there to decay for the fungi and the earthworms. Or would it be? Like, if the proper paperwork was filled out?"
kiwisandakindle
This person offered some valuable information in response:
"It's because governments are very picky about what you can do with a dead body, and basically force corpses to be buried in local cemeteries. And the law is very slow to change because people aren't interested in voting for death stuff and having to think about it."
"Basically everything involving a corpse is illegal, so even if its a small thing like burying a body, you can't do it. And to why those laws are so strict, its because they were made back in the day when people thought a corpse is harmful, and the death industry pushed the idea that unless embalmed they're harmful."
"Some countries, like India, require a coffin/casket by law."
BusinessCan3830
These Actors Were Perfectly Cast In Their Roles | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Sometimes an actor comes along that is able to reach the audience on a deeper level. The actor that immediately comes to mind is Robin Williams. Although it ..."What does a human..."
"What does a human taste like? We are meat, but do we taste like how a hamburger or chicken tastes, or do we taste completely different?"
zombiee_
And this person said:
"I've read it's like pork. Hence the term 'long pig.' You could always check out the story of the guy who brought home his amputated foot and made tacos with it. I'm pretty sure he describes the taste."
Bermnerfs
"Why have we over romanticized..."
"Why have we over romanticized suicide in television? They say that you evacuate all waste when you die, so every show where they find someone just hanging, shouldn't there be s**t and piss on the floor that dripped out of their clothes?"
frankenboots
Soon after, they received this response, and it makes sense:
"You can go back 2000 years to when a lot of classical literature was written and still find prominent mentions of suicide. People find it interesting. Same thing with love affairs. And murder."
soline
"How quickly during the process..."
"How quickly during the process of death does the person stop feeling pain or discomfort or touch sensation?"
bitterherpes
A short and sweet answer:
"The feeling in limbs, like the feet, the loss of sensation can happen some days before death in case of terminal illness. The body is shutting down."
MissNatDah
"Because I think parents do it all the time..."
"Parent's of Reddit, do you favour and love one child more than the others? And if you say no, have you ever asked one of your children about it?"
"Because I think parents do it all the time and don't realize that they're discriminating between children."
TheyCallMeCrazyEmi
And here's a very wise response from a parent:
"As a parent of 3, the answer is: it's complicated. I don't have a "favourite" exactly but I have favourite things about each kid."
"Kid #3 is certainly the easiest, and the others think I favour #3 because of it. Truth is, I just rarely need to tell them things twice. However, they probably need the most help with school and complex concepts. They are very sensitive and artistic."
"Kid #2 is the funniest and the one I pick to help when I need to get something done. They are like a hurricane emotionally though. So much willful energy. They can be a lot to deal with. This one also has all the dirt on everyone."
"Kid #1 is probably the most like me. They're very independent and, while the other two are very close, has always kind of stood apart from them. Quiet and easy to spend time with. Quite level headed but emotionally distant. I'll always see them as my first baby."
"You see, it's more complicated than a "favourite". All kids are different and have their good and bad traits. What's most important is telling them how great their good traits are and using positive reinforcement!"
We hope these responses have satisfied some of your morbid curiosity, dear readers.
At least we ended this on a significantly lighter note!
Have some morbid questions of your own? Feel free to ask them in the comments below! You never know who might have the answer!
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