And now, a reminder that we can’t blame modern technology and cable news for all of the world’s ills because people have always been kind of dumb.
In 1982, the Maryland Poison Center reported almost 80 cases of people who had suffered nausea and diarrhea after drinking Sunlight dishwashing liquid. They had received free bottles of the stuff in the mail as part of a promotional campaign. The source of the confusion was a picture of lemons on the label as well as the phrase “with real lemon juice.” This led many to conclude that the bottle contained some kind of lemonade. Or a lemon-flavored drink mixer. A lot of people added it to iced tea.
A spokesman for Lever Brothers, the manufacturer of the product, noted that the bottles also clearly said, “Sunlight dishwashing liquid.”
Sunlight no longer uses the phrase “with real lemon juice.” Apparently they learned their lesson. But they’ve still got a picture of a lemon on their bottles.
If you can even believe such a thing, Weird Universe was able to dig up newspaper columns from the time that tried to defend these people. Come for this happened to a friend of mine even though she can read very well, stay for the woman who ruined a family dinner by seasoning 24 pieces of chicken with dish soap that the mailman had left by the front door that day.
I don’t know what astounds me more, to be honest. That people were so readily slugging down fucking Sunlight because it might be juice or that they would write letters to the newspaper to admit it. But I do know what wouldn’t astound me. If one of these people ended up being the one who went on to sue because Crunchberries aren’t fruit.