Meat Gives… Meat
Castration, propaganda and other “meaty” matters...
This comic is based on a delightful medieval depiction of Abraham receiving instructions on circumcision from an angel of the lord.
I remember watching a reenactment of this Biblical scene on VHS in Sunday school. The teacher pressed play, but the tape hadn’t been rewound yet, so we first watched the scene in reverse—a group of men hobbling backwards out of a cave as a pair of bushy-eyebrowed old men stood looking somber and punishing at the cave’s entrance. It seemed almost like the men knew what they were getting themselves—and their precious genitals—into.
The anti-abortion sentiments leaked from the desks of the Supreme Court have stirred up something in me these past few days. I’ve been jittery and unfocused and mindlessly angry. Still, I’m trying to let myself feel through my feelings—all of them, no matter how small or confusing or seemingly wrong.
So, I’m feeling them all. As a treat.
This second comic is based on a historic comic (yes! an actual comic!) that was drawn and printed in 1555. The image is of a Catholic nun attempting to make a trade with a cat—a fish for a full set of male genitals.
The text reads “Fleisch macht Fleisch,” which literally translated means “meat gives meat,” or, “meat yields meat.” It’s a tasty little pun based on the German proverb “meat gives meat, fish gives nothing,” which basically means that meat is more filling than fish. In those days, Catholics abstained from meat on Fridays and ate only fish. Here, the nun wants to give up her abstinent ways in exchange for more carnal pleasures. Deep down, the nun is more devoted to the D than to her vows—as you can see by the little penis-shaped crucifix on her rosary.
The pun becomes even more delightful when we realize that, in German, Fleischlust means essentially carnal desire—so the double entendre feels more like a triple entendre here. Given the date of publication, the whole depiction was probably anti-Catholic propaganda. This was only a few decades after Martin Luther had supposedly nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Catholic church, so Protestantism was in full swing, especially in Germany. The image is trying to say that the supposedly most pious people (the Catholics) were actually the most corrupt.
It’s clever on so many levels, and the fact that it centers on religious hypocrisy makes it perfect for modern reinterpretation. The conservative right likes to grandstand endlessly about the sanctity of life, but so little is done to actually improve the quality of life for people in this country that the claim seems laughable at best and damnable at worst.
The reality is, controlling access to abortion has never been about giving the unborn a chance to thrive. It’s about power—it’s about keeping the poor poor and the woefully corrupt safe inside their government offices. It’s about giving the increasingly unpopular politicians a win—something to grandstand about. I’m not interested in those conversations. They lack compassion and honesty—they’re the kind of conversations that won’t look you in the eye. They’re squirrelly and cruel and ignorant and not worth our time. I won’t get lost arguing with folks who don’t think my experiences matter.
I’m frustrated by these conversations because put us in a position where we have to prove our humanity, to show everyone that we’ve suffered enough to be worthy of compassion. But you’re not worthy of compassion because you’re a woman, or because you’re the victim of assault, or because you’re a mother or disabled or queer or anything else—you’re worthy of compassion because you just are. These laws want you back you into a corner of definitions, to make you contort into an “acceptable” kind of person in their eyes. But really, you’re already worthy—already precious and important and so very needed in this world.
There are millions of childbearing folks who have had abortions—folks who are out there sharing their stories and claiming their humanity in brave and beautiful ways. They’re not hard to find. I’d be happy to hear yours, if you want to share. I know it can be traumatic to watch your humanity dissected by folks who don’t know your story. Sometimes it helps to just be witnessed—so please, find someone you love and just tell it how it happened. Or tell me, I’m here.
Know that you don’t have to feel any type of way about it. Childbearing folks each have their own relationship to that part of themselves—so your story isn’t wrong, no matter what other people tell you. You can have regrets and grief and sadness and still be okay. You can have relief and joy and gratitude, too.
I hope you’re coping these days—reading comics, hugging your beloveds, drinking tea, standing barefoot on the earth. Don’t get swept away. I’m here, you’re here, we’re all here.
Sending all the love,
🔪Becca Lee, the Haunted Librarian🔪
Beautiful Becca!! And the comics are great! 😍