Debbie Schlussel: Happy 25th Anniversary, Diet Coke!
Twenty-five years ago today a revolutionary soft drink was introduced to the market. Today, Diet Coke turns 25 and counts many prominent Americans among its loyal consumers. It allowed for a semi-Coke taste without the calories. Today it is the most popular diet soft drink in the world.
But many Americans are now Diet Coke addicts. Many continue to debate whether it's safe to drink so much artifical sweetener--Diet Coke uses aspartame. Yet, when it was introduced, Nutrasweet (the commercial name for the particular aspartame in Diet Coke) was the most tested substance. And it's not like anyone forces you to drink. Diet Coke comes in many varieties, from caffiene-free to cherry to cherry vanilla and several other flavors. In March, Coca-Cola introduced Diet Coke Plus with vitamins. And now experts debate whether you can really absorb or be helped by vitamins contained in a diet soda drink.
Still, I'm one of the many Diet Coke consumers who like the product and ingest from time to time (I'm no addict). And I'm happy it was introduced. Happy 25th, Diet Coke.
I note that, while there are many famous Diet Coke addicts (Newsweek recently did an article on them), the most clever is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Chieftess Julie L. Myers a/k/a "The ICE Princess." Not that she's generally very clever (she's not), but she manages to force ICE agents to pay for--at their expense--and deliver a refrigerator full of Diet Coke cans and bottles to appease her addiction, at ever city in America she visits. While The ICE Princess and her well-connected husband make a combined income plus benefits package of over $500,000 per year, paid for by taxpayers, agents have been required to buy her the trove of Diet Coke. (Since she thinks she's a rock star, she apparently believes she should get all the trappings contained in a rock star rider.)
I'm reminded of the anti-Semitic phrases signifying cheapness: "She Jewed me down," or "You're such a Jew." Both of them should certainly be changed to "She Julie'd me down," or "Don't be such a Julie."
Posted by Debbie on July 9, 2007 09:36 AM to Debbie Schlussel