Entertaining 'moth dad' Twitter Rant Goes Viral Over Measurement Conversions

Jaxon Wildwood

Updated Sunday, August 25, 2024 at 12:00 AM CDT

In a recent viral Twitter rant, user "moth dad" (@innesmck) has taken the internet by storm with his entertaining reaction to discovering that there are 16 ounces in a pound. The tweet, posted on November 26, 2018, reads, "JUST LEARNED THERE ARE 16 OUNCES IN A POUND AND I AM LIVID," and has garnered an astounding 10.4K retweets and 38.5K likes.

Accompanied by an illustrated profile picture featuring a character with short, grayish-white hair and glasses, "moth dad" did not hold back his astonishment. In a follow-up tweet, he questioned, "SIXTEEN???" which further fueled the comedic uproar with 37 retweets, 102 likes, and 2,599 responses.

The rant reached its peak when "moth dad" exclaimed, "WHAT KIND OF NUMBER IS THAT," capturing the frustration many feel when faced with seemingly arbitrary measurement conversions. This tweet alone amassed 105 retweets, 152 likes, and 3,840 comments.

The Twitterverse had a field day with this revelation, with users chiming in with their own takes on measurement systems. One comment humorously warned, "Wait until he learns there are separate mass ounces and volume ounces," while another advised, "No one mention that US pints and UK pints are different - that'll really upset the applecart."

Notable comments also included, "No one tell this guy how much horsepower a horse has," and "16 ounces in a pound is one of the few I know off the top of my head because it's one of the few that's actually relevant."

The conversation quickly expanded to cover various historical and regional differences in measurement systems. One user explained, "This is basically the origin/use case of the imperial system in a nutshell, actually," detailing how these measurements were standardized over time.

The hilarity of "moth dad's" rant even prompted discussions about the peculiarities of the imperial system versus the metric system, with users from the UK and USA sharing their mixed experiences.

"Moth dad's" rant serves as a reminder of the complexities and quirks of the measurement systems many take for granted. His candid expression of disbelief resonated with thousands, making this Twitter moment not only viral but also a humorous reflection on everyday learning surprises.

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Top Comments from Imgur

DoveLeiger

Wait until he learns there are separate mass ounces and volume ounces.

skipweasel

No one mention that US pints and UK pints are different - that'll really upset the (standard 16 bushel) applecart.

mksu

16 ounces in a pound is one of the few I know off the top of my head because it's one of the few that's actually relevant.

triassictango

No one tell this guy how much horsepower a horse has.

lappelduvideonfullblast

why anyone gets even remotely upset over historically emerged measurements is f***ing beyond me

JustMattt

Someone popping off this much about pounds while casually accepting the completely useless unit of measure that is "stones" means this guy can s*** it.

CheesecakePi

#9 This is basically the origin/use case of the imperial system in a nutshell, actually. If you were an average layperson hundreds of years ago, you didn't have different scales and measures, because you couldn't afford such luxuries. So if you were baking, you had one cup that you decided was The Cup, and worked out your ratio of ingredients accordingly. It was later when we started standardizing we got a lot of bizarre conversions between systems that were created for different situations.

womblemessiah

UK here, we switched to metric around 1971, alongside currency decimalisation. 1kg of water is exactly 10cm³ and exactly 1 litre. I'm 2.0m tall and 125kg, and 55yo, Brits begrudgingly cling on to imperial measures and I don't know why.

marthafarquar

I have had the gold / feathers argument a couple of times. Feathers are weighed in Avoirdupois ounces but Gold is always measured in Troy ounces and it's not even close as the Gold would be almost 10% heavier. Avoirdupois, used since the 13th century, is from the Anglo-Norman French "aveir de peis" literally "goods of weight" whereas Troy weight supposed to take its name from the French market town of Troyes where English merchants traded at least as early as the early 9th century.

trinxter

Imperial gallons are of course bigger. Like nautical miles, knots and everything else I can't fathom.