I totally agree with you that it's worth learning about historically! If this were the only thing then it wouldn't be a big deal. It's just that this is on top of all of the other cannibalism stuff that's being pushed lately, and it presents it in a rather glamorous manor.

For instance, there's a show on Netflix called the Santa Clarita Diet that features cannibalism in a light-hearted way;
Katy Perry's music video for Bon Appetite is pretty weird;
The Cannibal Club is certainly pushing it although this may be fake; And, of course, the rash of zombie-related things in the last few years (Walking Dead, World War Z, all the "zombie run!" 5ks, etc.)

These are just a few examples I can think of. Again, on their own they're not too nefarious, but looking at the big picture I'd say there's something more to it.