Wal-sweet

Walgreens makes a zero calorie sweetener called "Wal-Sweet". I have yet to grasp the point of a zero calorie sweetener. How many calories does one actually save by putting a packet of Wal-Sweet in one's coffee instead of sugar...or gasp! heaven forbid... drinking coffee black? Any fatties out there with stories of weight loss centered around replacing the teaspoon of sugar they put in their coffee with Wal-Sweet? Is there any other possible way of reducing one's coffee sugar intake without ingesting a compound designed to be indigestible? The fact that our culture creates a market pressure for scientists to develop chemicals that simulate the enjoyment of food without giving any nutritional benefit to the consumer, while at the same time many people have inadequate means to consume enough calories to sustain their lives, is perhaps one of the best examples of the market leading towards blatant stupidity. Given the choice, most would prefer that scientific funding went towards finding a stable means for feeding the worlds masses. What technological marvel would you rather see? The ability to eat sugar without calories? Or the ability to give people the necessary calories to live? Shit! What path should we encourage our scientist to explore? For fuck sakes, if sugar is so tasty (and it is) and being fat is so terrible (and it is) then how about after putting the sugar in your coffee you do a couple push ups and call it even. No wait. It's better to redirect our intellectual resources towards sweet (Wal-Sweet) indulgence without responsibility.

Of course the only logical thing to do now is to hand out pamphlets urging the boycott of Walgreens. Wait? For all I know Wal-Sweet is far less environmentally harmful than sugar cane. Shit! Maybe Wal-Sweet reduces the use of pesticides and water, and spawned a fuckload of other useful scientific ideas and research. Maybe the future of Africa is to be found in the replacement of sugar with Wal-Sweet, and the freeing up of sugar plantations for other essential crops. Maybe. But know ye this: Wal-Sweet is a dumb fucking name for a dumb fucking product.