Centimeters and inches are so 20th century, from now on, we're using hamsters for measurement.
The centuries-long battle between Americans and the metric system took a turn for the bizarre this week after media giant CNN opted to report on a record-smashing kidney stone – one clocking in at 5.26 inches and 1.76 lbs – in arguably the strangest imaginable means.
Instead of describing the kidney stone, which broke two Guinness World Records upon its removal earlier this month, through traditional measurements, the media giant opted instead to tap a piece of fruit and a quartet of rodents in conveying its mammoth scope.
The world’s largest kidney stone has been removed from a patient in Sri Lanka – and it’s about the size of a grapefuit, as long as a banana and as heavy as four hamsters https://t.co/D8Q5i0hUMe
— CNN (@CNN) June 15, 2023
“The world’s largest kidney stone has been removed from a patient in Sri Lanka,” they captioned the story on their official Twitter page. “It’s about the size of a grapefruit, as long as a banana, and as heavy as four hamsters.”
“as long as a banana and as heavy as four hamsters” https://t.co/HIDY3BDRlo
— Vinny Thomas (@vinn_ayy) June 15, 2023
Yet, more than marveling at the absolute monstrosity of the calcium deposit before them, several readers flocked to the comments questioning why, exactly, CNN used these terms to convey the magnitude of this biological horror.
YOU ALREADY USED TWO FRUITS PICK A THIRD https://t.co/3bJHD0GqNi
— Catlord Joe (@joemmac) June 15, 2023
“When did we start weighing things in hamsters?” mused @coolname77.
“Wake up babe, new units of measurement just dropped,” joked hey_staj.
me, trying to describe something to my friends after 11 beers https://t.co/agudZRcdfb
— James Tyler (still) (@JamesTylerESPN) June 15, 2023
As @UnderpantsAnton so aptly put it – “Americans will avoid the metric system at all costs.”
0 Comments