They’re Coming After Your Bacon and Orrin Hatch is Having None of It

Katie Pavlich | December 04, 2018 1:40 PM

The term "bringing home the bacon" is under attack. This time, it isn't raging feminists arguing the phrase emboldens the patriarchy. Instead the popular saying, along with other delicious meat references, is at risk of going extinct due to a growing vegan population. That's according to an article in The Independent, which resides across the pond in the UK (bolding is mine).

You may think phrases like “bringing home the bacon” and “putting all your eggs in one basket” are harmless quirks of the English language, but they could be offending vegans and vegetarians, with one academic claiming they might end up being avoided altogether as a result.

As research shows more people are removing animal products from their diets than ever before, Shareena Hamzah of Swansea University says idioms involving animal products could be rendered obsolete because they are out of touch with the zeitgeist.

Writing for The Conversation, the researcher explains how meat-based metaphors are a popular staple of our everyday vernacular but that an increased awareness in the environmental and ethical issues surrounding meat production “will undoubtedly be reflected in our language and literature” and that this language may no longer be so widely accepted.

“In today’s reality, meat is repeatedly the subject of much socially and politically charged discussion, including about how the demand for meat is contributing to climate change and environmental degradation,” she continues.

“Given that fiction often reflects on real world events and societal issues, it may very well be that down the line powerful meat metaphors are eschewed.

“The increased awareness of vegan issues will filter through consciousness to produce new modes of expression.”