The human capacity for inconsistency, contradiction, hypocrisy, double standards, and cognitive dissonance fascinates me—especially my own large capacity for such intellectual somersaults.

Somersaults were on display in a recent news story in the Arizona Daily Star. The story was about “Sonoran hot dog king” Daniel Contreras being in intensive care in a Tucson hospital. (“Family seeks prayers for Tucson’s El Guero Canelo Sonoran hot dog king,” Arizona Daily Star, March 2, 2024.)

Conteras is a local celebrity for winning a James Beard culinary award and being featured on the TV show “Man v. Food” for his Sonoran hot dog, which is served at his restaurant, El Guero Canelo. I applaud his success and join other Tucsonans in wishing him and his family well.

So, where is the intellectual somersault? Let me set the table.

Bacon and mayonnaise are among the toppings on a Sonoran hot dog. This makes it even more unhealthy than refried beans lathered with lard

The Sonoran hot dog has its origins in Mexico, where almost four of every ten people over the age of fifteen are obese, an obesity rate that almost equals the rate in the U.S. Mexico now has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world, with a staggering 16.9% of the population afflicted with the disease, a disease that can become terribly debilitating. The diabetes rate in the U.S. is about five percentage points lower but still affects nearly 30 million Americans.

To continue setting the table, another recent story in the Arizona Daily Star was about the Tucson Unified School District receiving $7.2 million from a class-action lawsuit against tobacco companies JUUL Labs and Altria Group. The companies had been sued by TUSD and other districts around the country for the negative effects on schools from the marketing of vaping products (smokeless tobacco) to students. The money is being used by TUSD to hire health counselors.

To conclude with the setting of the table, the Arizona Daily Star had run a regular column until recently on the local marijuana industry. The column put a positive spotlight on selected retail marijuana stores and featured various pot products, including products in packaging and flavors that would appeal to kids. This in a city with a serious problem of pedestrians being fatally run over by cars, often due to the pedestrian or driver being impaired.

The inconsistencies are striking. One product, smokeless tobacco, is demonized, while two others are celebrated, although all three can have negative health effects.

The statistics on the health effects of vaping are squishy, but let’s assume that vaping is considerably unhealthier than smoking pot or eating hot dogs topped with bacon and mayo. That still doesn’t justify the double standard of saying nothing but negatives about vaping and nothing but positives about the others.

I have to stop here. It’s time for my snack of Peanut M&Ms.

*****

Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot