Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

“The humor kind of escapes [him],” Mayor Bloomberg says of the “Million Big Gulp March” in protest of his proposed soda ban. This weekend New Yorkers for Beverage Choices took to the streets to urge Bloomberg to let them put what they want into their bodies.

Bloomberg referenced obesity and obesity-related deaths in the City, saying those who opt to drink that much sugar are merely killing themselves. He also pointed to an article in the Financial Times regarding whether the Olympics should be sponsored by McDonalds and Coca Cola, neither of which are exactly the image of health.

Bloomberg also cited statistics about hospitals having to accommodate larger individuals, reports Capital New York, to make a point about our nation’s obesity trajectory. The Mayor said obesity is going to be “worse than smoking ever was.”

Pictures of the protest in the Daily Mail show tons of children taking part in the demonstration, Big Gulp cups full of sugary liquid in hand. It’s what economists call “the law of unintended consequences,” or in layman’s terms: I’m going to do the exact opposite of what you tell me to do.

Bloomberg’s exasperated reaction to the protest of his downsizing campaign is a straightforward “let them kill themselves.”

—Alissa Fleck