A Saint Louis news station's report on teen drug use was meant to inspire caution and concern for parents of adolescents. Instead, it has inspired guffaws and roasts from the internet.
In the report, KMOV newscaster Paige Hulsey showed what was supposedly the "normal teen's bedroom" of an adolescent who obviously enjoys marijuana, complete with tie dye wall hangings and 420-themed decor.
But the room, seen below, was obviously an office converted into a teen's bedroom by someone who is absolutely, undeniably NOT a teenager. And the internet cannot stop dunking on it.
Looks like a normal teen\u2019s bedroom, right? Think again. Coming up on @KMOV, we\u2019ll show you what parents should be looking for so they can identify signs of drug use. I was shocked at what I found in this room!!! #stl #n4tmpic.twitter.com/Df2yegDPUq— Paige Hulsey (@Paige Hulsey) 1624529145
KMOV's story was meant to be a primer for parents on what signs to look for if they suspect their teenager is experimenting with drugs. Included was the shot of the teen bedroom, the revelatory contents of which Hulsey said "shocked" her. But judging from the response, Hulsey was pretty much the only one learning anything from this foray into teen bedrooms.
In her tweet, Hulsey wrote, "Looks like a normal teen's bedroom, right?" And the internet was basically like, "Let me stop you right there."
The "bedroom" shown has all the hallmarks of a generic office park conference room--fluorescent lighting, a drop ceiling, wide windows with Venetian blinds, carpet tile and walls painted a flat, lifeless beige. It's like someone took the Dunder-Mifflin headquarters from The Office, taped a tie-dye mural to the wall, threw in a bed and called it a day.
And that's all before we even get to the hilariously on the nose "mile 420" freeway sign--referencing, of course, the "420" slang term for marijuana.
Speaking to HuffPost, Hulsey said that she stipulated in her broadcast that the room was a set used by a local drug prevention group.
"I said that in the liveshot. 'We are inside DEA headquarters downtown I also said that the space made to look like a bedroom was set up by the group 'Addiction is Real.'"
But that didn't make it any less hilarious, and Twitter roasted this whole thing to a deep, dark crisp anyway.
why does this teen live in an officehttps://twitter.com/paigehulsey/status/1408003404874592266\u00a0\u2026— Mike Murphy (@Mike Murphy) 1624553646
this is a fake room set up to look like a teenagers room and it has the most Hello Fellow Kids energy i've ever seenhttps://twitter.com/paigehulsey/status/1408003404874592266\u00a0\u2026— rachel syme (@rachel syme) 1624560894
If your teen is living in a commercial office space, complete with drop-down ceiling & high-traffic carpeting, you have bigger concerns than whether or not he/she is using so much cannabis that they have turned their bedroom into a dispensary, complete with "Mile 420" sign.https://twitter.com/paigehulsey/status/1408003404874592266\u00a0\u2026— Fr. Robert R. Ballecer, SJ (@Fr. Robert R. Ballecer, SJ) 1624558093
I am an expert drug investigator and here is an explanation of some of the signs of drug usage we see here. Very sad!pic.twitter.com/j2B7JbWaxU— Styxhexenhammer666 (@Styxhexenhammer666) 1624620023
People are talking about the Mile 420 sign, but I think the most disturbing thing we need to discuss here is the plague of teenagers using office-building carpet tile in their bedrooms.https://twitter.com/paigehulsey/status/1408003404874592266\u00a0\u2026— Hank Green (@Hank Green) 1624557939
She cares enough about her clothes to have a lint roller but also keeps her clothes on the floor with unopened Dr Peppers. This is like the worst eye-spy.pic.twitter.com/w05b1qEGhv— Jordan Avell (@Jordan Avell) 1624582886
"NO STUDIO LIGHTING AND CAMERAS IN YOUR BEDROOM UNTIL YOU'RE 18, YOUNG LADY"https://twitter.com/paigehulsey/status/1408003404874592266\u00a0\u2026— Shoshana Weissmann, Sloth Committee Chair \ud83e\udda5 (@Shoshana Weissmann, Sloth Committee Chair \ud83e\udda5) 1624558985
The gaffer's tape used to put up the tapestry is the best part of this photo— Erin Blakemore (@Erin Blakemore) 1624560935
yes i'd be very concerned if my teen lived in what is obviously a commercial office space hastily decorated to look like a 45-year-old's idea of a teenager's bedroom with subversive elements like tie-dye and Catch-22— Max Kennerly (@Max Kennerly) 1624552947
I dont think a bong, some bud, and a crunchy sock is all that shocking. I'm more shocked that a teen has dual nightstands......https://twitter.com/paigehulsey/status/1408003404874592266\u00a0\u2026— CHRIS KLEMENS (@CHRIS KLEMENS) 1624561522
love 2 shotgun my sodas and take my bra off toopic.twitter.com/55vWr5nmd8— PlasticMan (@PlasticMan) 1624552888
For her part, Hulsey doesn't seem to find this amusing and has been defending the "teen's bedroom" to the commenters in her Twitter replies... which of course only makes this whole thing funnier. Isn't the internet wonderful?
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