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May 19, 2005Diet Pepsi and me go back a-ways…Regular readers know, I’m not much of a boycotter. I always figure a boycott ends up hurting “the little guy” driving the shipping truck or the gal in accounting more than it hurts the golden-parachuted CEOS and Prexies of a corporation. The only boycott I have ever “really” embraced is the boycott of French products. I still won’t buy L’oreal or Lancome products or Michelin Tires or imported brie (actually I’ve found a NY brie that is completely scrumptious and inexpensive), and of course, no French wines. But the truth is, that boycott has less to do with their feckless president and policies than with the fact that my husband travels to France with some frequency and (typically) although he LOVES the French countryside, the French Riviera and the Architecture, he’s had it with the French attitude, which he says has “been snotty for the 23 years I’ve been going there…can’t blame that on George Bush!” You must understand, my husband is one of those very nice, very polite, very mannered folks (we are very different) who is liked by everyone. The people who work for him love him. The people who work with him love him. “EVERYONE loves him,” is what people say. All the time. So, clearly, the problem is not my American husband, but the French snoots. And I just don’t wanna hand my hard-earned bucks over to people who can’t be polite to my husband…OR my president! Regular readers will also know my deep and abiding love afair with Diet Pepsi. I’m drinking one as I write this. I really, REALLY love Diet Pepsi. In a can, it’s the best soda in the whole wide world. It is crisp and delicious, and it is my friend. And so, even though their CEO is an utter, double-speaking, back-tracking-ass-covering-spinning- ninny, I will not be boycotting the product. I can’t. It would be so cruel to keep Diet Pepsi and me apart. I cannot live without books…and Diet Pepsi. However, I did call Pepsico’s Executive office at (914) 253-2000 to lodge a complaint. A customer rep, very polite, asked if she could read me the CEO’s “I didn’t mean what I said when I said it, I am a high paid, highly educated person who speaks with clarity and grace but I didn’t mean what I said I was misunderstood what I meant to say was…” statement. I politely declined, having already read it, said I just wanted to register my concerns that someone so smart and in such a position of power would use her position and her opportunity to speak to make such remarks that could “certainly be interpreted negatively,” and that since her statement professed her great love for America, one hoped her next commencement address would perhaps tell us what she LOVES about American, and would express that love with a bit more optimism. “Middle finger metaphors,” I advised her, “are ALWAYS to be viewed with suspicion. Perhaps you can relay that message to Indra.” Having had my little say, my Diet Pepsi and I remain happily together. Paul at Powerline however, and Rev. Donald Sensing feel a bit differently. http://theanchoressonline.com/2005/05/19/diet-pepsi-and-me-go-back-a-ways/trackback/ 12 Responses to “Diet Pepsi and me go back a-ways…” |
May 19th, 2005 at 6:31 pm
Speaking of the French….
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/17/wfran17.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/05/17/ixnewstop.html
LOL!
May 19th, 2005 at 6:39 pm
It’s called “heroic virtue” for a reason, y’know.
*g*
Drink your Diet Pepsi in peace.
May 19th, 2005 at 6:43 pm
I was in France in 1976 and they were just as snotty and rude then as they are now - when JIMMY CARTER was President, for Heaven’s sake. (And yes, I speak French, so it isn’t that, either.)
If you haven’t seen Lileks’ deconstruction of this woman’s stupid speech, go to today’s Bleat. He fillets it nicely, and you’ll feel better.
Are you plain Diet Pepsi or are you Diet Decaf? I’m in the latter camp. But there’s no need for us to quarrel over the merits
May 19th, 2005 at 7:21 pm
The speech was fairly insipid, yes, but especially insulting or worthy of a boycott? No.
Pepsi did the right thing here. Nooyi apologized to anyone who took things the wrong way, and I think you have to be pretty willfully looking for things to get angry about if you think her speech was intentionally insulting to America, rather than cautionary about always presenting yourself and your country in the best possible light.
In addition, Pepsi quickly published the entire speech. No cover ups, or Eason Jordon style hiding of what happened.
The Blogosphere should give Pepsi credit for that and save any outrage for serious things.
May 19th, 2005 at 7:22 pm
As I write, I’m drinking a Diet Pepsi Lime. I’m back to agreeing with the Anchoress. I love Diet Pepsi and if I boycotted I’d only be hurting the local bottling company and my friend who manages the local Pizza Hut, not the offensive woman who bashed America at Columbia. I will probably call their office tomorrow and make my displeasure with “the speech” known, but only if I am less busy at my own work than I was today.
For the record, I don’t think she was misunderstood. I think she was thought she was speaking to a much more liberal America-bashing audience than she was and I don’t think she *ever* in her wildest dreams (nightmares?) thought a person in her audience would alert Power Line to her speech. That’s twice this week the left has been caught thinking that they wouldn’t get caught bashing America - at least this speech didn’t get anyone killed.
May 19th, 2005 at 10:41 pm
I’ve typically been somewhat unenthused about boycotts for a different reason. Although I can appreciate an individual’s convictions in personally boycotting a product, I think that formal, publicized boycotts can, and often do, easily backfire–at least in the short term.
Switching to math mode, let me lay out my exceptionally boring case as to why: Suppose that the country is divided 50-50 into two opposing groups. Suppose also that product ”X” is used by 5% of each group. If group ”A” boycotts, they may lower their usage from, for example, 5% to 3%. However, if group ”B” is therefore prompted to defend ”their” product, they could easily increase their market share from 5% to 10%, not only easily negating the effect of group ”A’s” boycott, but actually increasing the overall sales of product ”X”, at least temporarily. (The longer term trend, though, might be more complicated to predict.)
This boring analysis has been brought to you by the letters ”A”, ”B”, and ”X”, and by Apostrophes Are Us.
May 20th, 2005 at 7:27 am
Who Hates the French?
Everyone does. First I digress, Via jlw, a commenter on a post at The Anchoress concerning a boycott of Pepsi. The boycott idea has arisen as a result of the commencement remarks by PepsiCo President Indra Nooyi likening America to…
May 20th, 2005 at 9:22 am
Pepsi gives America the finger
From WorldNetDaily: Food giant PepsiCo is now fizzing in damage-control mode after the company’s president likened the U.S. to a…
May 20th, 2005 at 11:39 am
I’m gonna have to give up the Diet Pepsi for at least six months. I mean, not forever, ya know? ; )
May 20th, 2005 at 5:41 pm
Pepsi Controversy
One thing troubles me about this though. I am really distressed when liberals throw pies at conservatives giving speeches, or even boo them and prevent them from speaking.
We conservatives like to beleive that we are not champions of political cor…
May 21st, 2005 at 1:53 pm
Powerade Conversion: Remember the Boston Tea Party!
Remember the Boston Tea Party!! This is a country founded on a boycott. . . From astute reader, “ESL”:Pepsi basically sells sugar water. One sugar water is just as good as another. . . .I would think that Gatorade will…
May 26th, 2005 at 3:55 pm
Love your website… came across it on someone’s blogroll.
I don’t buy French products, either. Then again, I won’t even pronouce some words how they are supposed to be pronounced. (”faux pas,” in my world is “fox pass”)
And I totally agree with you on the snotty French.