Will America Ever Go Metric?

[Sinestra]

最初の投稿者：Nyororin

It would not be an easy thing, but that is also not a good enough reason to simply give up on it totally. Obviously it cannot happen overnight, or everyone would be utterly lost and confused. But a gradual introduction of metric units into all facets of daily life, along with more emphasis on them in schools would make a huge difference. People aren`t going to go out of their way to learn something if it gives them no benefit in daily life - and at this point, it really doesn`t. For example, change road speed signs to dual, and make the kph larger on new cars... Make it easier to determine things by looking to the metric side by pricing things in stores by gram/kilogram, without removing the option to use imperial units. Just make them more inconvenient to use bit by bit.

Oh i agree with you that is exactly what Nagoyankee and myself were discussing and that was my suggestion from the get go. I favor a dual method giving people the option to use both people react better with choices. But some think this can happen over night which it cant. As you said people wont bother with something that has no benefit in their daily life and honestly like you said there wont be one in the short run. I think both systems should be taught side by side all the way through school and once it has cycled for a generation start slowly but surely change road signs ect ect to dual. I dont mind either system but im not in favor of completely eliminating a system that has been in place for a long time. America is better at melding rather than getting rid of one system in favor of another.

But some of the ignorant comments on here makes me want to face palm.

[komitsuki]

最初の投稿者：Sinestra

I dont mind either system but im not in favor of completely eliminating a system that has been in place for a long time.

In non-western countries, their traditional measuring systems were eliminated to favor either metric or imperial (but most imperial countries chose metric) or seldom use in a limited context. A loss of traditional culture.

In many of those countries, officializing dual use is not a optimal long-term plan because of need for industrialization (favoring the West).

Many of these countries didn't have the luxury to have more than one respected standards. America is one of the few cases that doesn't.

In many cases, dual systems are very short-lived.

最初の投稿者：Sinestra

But some of the ignorant comments on here makes me want to face palm.

Sorry about that but perhaps that's because we use a measuring system that is quasi-universal except for three countries. We just have different mindsets with few significant differences on this issue. That's about it.

I used to use the imperial system but forgot it completely.

[hennaz]

Being British, I'm very used to the metric system, and I think it's far easier to use than imperial/American measures. However, I always seem to think of road distances in miles, my steak in ounces, a person's weight in stones and pounds (a stone is 12 lbs.), and a person's height in feet and inches (I've no idea what my height is in centimetres, all I know is that it's 5' 8"!). As for America going metric, I really think they should, as it's easier, more accurate, easier to convert to smaller measures (ie. metres to centimetres is easier than feet to inches), and it's pretty much the only universally recognised system.

[darksyndrem]

It kind of upsets me that Americans expect other countries to be the ones that should know our system, or expect people from other countries to have converters ready and stuff. We should be the ones that know other countries system, ESPECIALLY since all the other countries use the Metric system, and we're practically the only ones that aren't using it. I feel like it shows how selfish a lot of Americans are =\

[seiki]

I don't think it is selfish to not know metric. We have just always not used s.i. I don't think it is hard to learn both systems but I do not expect others to do that. Also my phone and probably everyone elses phones has converters for temp weight time lenght even tip and currency. You just need to remember it because I know that at least everyone in america that made it to 6th grade learned the metric system and then learned it again in physical science and chemistry. Its not that hardlol

[Nagoyankee]

最初の投稿者：seiki

　
Its not that hardlol

It may not be that hard in theory but in actual practice, it can be a pain in the you know where at times.

I was chatting with my American friend a few months ago. We were talking about our pets and mine is a turtle. She asked me how big the turtle was. I paniced because we had had trouble talking about numbers before. I took out my metric ruler and measured the diameter of the shell. Then I had to go get a calculater to do the division. Now, what am I gonna do with the remainder? Remainders are very easy to treat in the Metric System because the base number is always 10. But in my American frined's system, the base number seems to be 12 (12 inches to a foot. Not 10!!). It took me a few minutes to figure it all out. I finally get back to my PC and tell her the result and apologize for making her wait.

Guess what she said to me. She said, "Thanks for going to all the trouble. You could have just replied in Small/Medium/Large."

[Sinestra]

最初の投稿者：Nagoyankee

It may not be that hard in theory but in actual practice, it can be a pain in the you know where at times.

I was chatting with my American friend a few months ago. We were talking about our pets and mine is a turtle. She asked me how big the turtle was. I paniced because we had had trouble talking about numbers before. I took out my metric ruler and measured the diameter of the shell. Then I had to go get a calculater to do the division. Now, what am I gonna do with the remainder? Remainders are very easy to treat in the Metric System because the base number is always 10. But in my American frined's system, the base number seems to be 12 (12 inches to a foot. Not 10!!). It took me a few minutes to figure it all out. I finally get back to my PC and tell her the result and apologize for making her wait.

Guess what she said to me. She said, "Thanks for going to all the trouble. You could have just replied in Small/Medium/Large."

That gave me a good laugh today has been so depressing i needed that

[Ryzorian]

Typical American response to if you think about it, heh.

I think folks sometimes mistake our blissfull ignorance as a type of arogance. Honestly, most Americans are just happy go lucky misfits with a fiercely independant streak. But really, what do you expect from a nation born from rebels, renagades, rogues and the occational convict?

[Sinestra]

最初の投稿者：Ryzorian

Typical American response to if you think about it, heh.

I think folks sometimes mistake our blissfull ignorance as a type of arogance. Honestly, most Americans are just happy go lucky misfits with a fiercely independant streak. But really, what do you expect from a nation born from rebels, renagades, rogues and the occational convict?

Um are you sure your not talking about Australia?

Check your history again friend and see just who it is that are Americans forefathers.

"komitsuki" i hope you dont think i was picking on you because i wasn't and the comment was directed at you. You have spoken with me plenty and you know how i get with ignorant comments.

[Ryzorian]

Gorgia was originally a penal colony founded by John Oglthorp. The Puritans where fanstics who left England so they could practice thier fanatical ways freely. America became the "green country" of many Irish ballads during the potato famines of the 1800's. During the Revolution, of the 12000 Hessian mercs sent here to fight us..8000 ended up up staying after the war and 6000 were fighting for us before the war was over.

I strongly suspect our troops made such a dramatic turnaround after Vally Forge as much by the addition of several thousand Hessian troops as by the German Baron.

America was and is the country of dreamers for dreamers. It's that freedom to dream that attracts people from around the world. Dreamers, by definition, look at the world a little different than the average person.