Have you ever wished that you didn’t know something? That you could truly invoke the phrase ignorance is bliss? That happened to me early this week. The World Health Organization came out with a report saying that there is a definite link between processed meats and cancer.
That’s bad news for a lot of meat lovers, myself included. Now, before I go causing a panic, I would like to make the point that simply because someone eats bacon on a sandwich doesn’t mean that they have essentially committed an act on par as smoking an entire pack of cigarettes.
However, it is important to know that there is a link between the two. I am not so dumb that I think bacon is good for me. I know that it isn’t. To be quite honest, I’m not even someone who eats a lot of bacon. But it’s just one of those things that I wish I hadn’t heard.
My brain immediately flashed backs to spending weekends at my grandma’s. Any time her grandkids stayed with her she would make bacon and eggs in the morning. Even in the wake of this news, those memories will never be tainted. But, it’s hard not to think in my head: Bacon causes cancer.
How much bacon have I eaten over time? What if I’m in a situation where I have to eat bacon in the future? What will I do? Will I have the will power to stay away? The answer to these questions are: A lot. What situation will I ever be in where I have to eat bacon? I will probably eat it in moderation. And, No. Probably not.
I know that this information is pertinent and will probably save lives, but there is a little voice in my head that keeps saying that I probably would’ve been happier not knowing the horrible, horrible truth.
I’m glad that people have this information. I’m just not glad that I have this information. In a lot of ways it’s just another worry to have. Another limitation. Another thing to actively avoid.
It just seems like the world keeps getting smaller and smaller. That the simple pleasures in life are becoming the things we have to steer clear of the most.
Side Story. Any time I read something like this, I can’t help that sometimes the comical part of my brain kicks in. As soon as I read the news story talking about bacon and other processed meats being linked to cancer, I couldn’t help but think of The Insider.
The Insider is a movie about how Dr. Jeff Wigand (Russell Crowe) went up against the Big Tobacco business and told his story to 60 Minutes. I couldn’t help but think about a similar thing happening in this situation. Would this information not have gotten out if the brave acts of a whistleblower didn’t happen?
Was there some guy or gal who was faced with the ultimate choice of whether he/she should go up against those cruel people of Big Bacon? Were there threats made? Did the bacon lobbyists call upon their mighty bacon lawyers to silence this news from getting out?
Was there an out of the pot and into the frying pan moment? Were people in gravy danger? I certainly hope not. That sounds like a lot of trouble to go through simply to give people information that seems like it could be figured out through logic: bacon is bad for you.
Brian Laughran
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