Seriously, what is the answer?
We all know the internet is unpredictable at the best of times, but a debate that no one can stop thinking about has torn the web in two. Are there more wheels or more doors in the world? And is there even an answer? To help you decide, let’s take a look at both sides.
Team Doors
Trying to count all of the doors in the world is an impossible task. Starting simple, you would imagine houses, hotels, car doors, and every entrance to every building. That alone is a lot of doors. But it doesn’t stop there, oh no. Ask yourself this: what constitutes a door? Although I cannot quite believe I looked it up, the Oxford English Dictionary defines a door as:
‘A movable barrier of wood or other material, consisting either of one piece, or of several pieces framed together, usually turning on hinges or sliding in a groove, and serving to close or open a passage into a building, room, etc.’
So, taking inspiration from the ongoing debate, do we then count cupboards as having doors? After all, they are called cupboard doors. Creative minds out there have even pitched the idea of advent calendars each having 24 doors, increasing the count yet further. Those with advent calendars may not quite make up the numbers to match the wheels debate, however.
Team Wheels
In the spirit of equality, the Oxford English Dictionary definition of a wheel is:
‘A circular structure which revolves on an axle.’
With the earliest recorded wheel thought to be a potter’s wheel, since then this definition leaves room for a ridiculous amount of items. Despite most forms of transport having both wheels and doors, bikes, chairs, suitcases, trolleys, and even the Lazy Susan are easy contenders to outnumber team doors. Even then, cogs account for a lot of wheels in clocks and other machinery. One popular argument is that some chests of drawers work by the drawers being on wheels. The list seems endless.
Where has this come from?
Unsurprisingly, this madness occupying the minds of thousands of people globally, started from one tweet by New Zealander Ryan Nixon, who proposed the question to his 1,400 followers, stating ‘My mates and I are having the STUPIDEST debate…’
Now, over 223,000 votes later, and a discussion circulating on many forms of social media, namely TikTok, the catalyst of this fun frustration has come to a decision. He is team wheels!
Proud of his 15 minutes of fame, Nixon has shared that he was pleased that the debate had entertained people, crediting his success to the sheer lack of a definite answer.
The mind boggles trying to come to a conclusion, which is probably why both team wheels and team doors have numerous passionate members. How long this conundrum will last, we do not know. There is a possibility that this may spark similar debates, but in classic internet style, the memes will continue for a short while.
The real question is: Have you picked a side yet? For me the answer to this conundrum is there are more wheels in the world. Although I started writing this firmly on the side of doors, it now looks like when one door closes, there just isn’t another one to open. On your bike it is!