Posted on 08/22/2013 6:49:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
I’ve met a lot of people and learned a lot while traveling Europe the past several weeks. Of all the things I have had to explain to fellow travels as not only an American – but a Texan – by far the most frustrating thing is our stubborn refusal to embrace the metric system. I can confidently argue the finer points of how the use of y’all and the plural form all y’all are descriptive and have a place in the American lexicon. I take pleasure in explaining the intricacies of chicken fried foods.
But the metric system is another matter. “I don’t understand why y’all don’t use the metric system” is something I’ve heard too often. I don’t argue with them because there is no technical argument for why we haven’t adopted the Système Internationale – our refusal is based on emotion and familiarity.
Our choice of unit system is perhaps more important now than in recent years. Science is conducted using the language of SI units. If we want to have a scientifically literate populace, we should make sure that scientists and non-scientists speak the same language. In terms of national competitiveness, Americans are competing on a global market of information now more than ever. We are at a disadvantage by not speaking the international language of science at a time when we are struggling with truly global issues like climate change and resource depletion.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the government arm that sets standards and measurements to support American competitiveness, concludes that “the current effort toward national metrification is based on the conclusion that industrial and commercial productivity, mathematics and science education, and the competitiveness of American products and services in world markets, will be enhanced by completing the change to the metric system of units. Failure to complete the change will increasingly handicap the Nation’s industry and economy.”
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Given the state of our education system and schools spending more time teaching self estime and the global warming cult rather than real science I don’t see this happening. If millions of low information people (morons) voted for Obama there is little hope they could figure out the metric system.
In and of itself, it isn't. But, I'm not convinced it is better for non-scientific uses. Are you?
I agree the metric system is easier and better, but so is driving on the right side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side.
And I don’t see them willing to change.
What’s good for the goose...
Ok...let's let everyone use whatever measuring system they prefer. I kind of like furlongs per fortnight for measuring speed.
You are basically saying that we are not now being told what we must do? I don't like the English system but you are telling me I have no choice but to use it.
That's exactly correct. Americans have already adopted metric standards where they make the most sense - primarily in manufacturing, where base 10 values provide a consistent means of developing and maintaining quality standards and performance metrics.
But you know what they say: "Give 'em an inch, they'll take 0.9144 meters".
Such as atmospheric braking when landing on Mars? ;^)
Many terrestrial examples, but that one sprang to mind.
Dave, you’re welcome to stay in Europe. Don’t let the door hit you on the way back out.
Transitions between systems like this are another way we generally get screwed.
I like paying for stuff by the gallon, for instance. Start paying by the liter and it won’t be long before some half-wit says, “Two dollars a liter isn’t that bad, is it?”
If the US REALLY wanted to go, they’d have to start with sports first. American Football would have to go to meters from yards. Baseball diamonds wouldn’t be 90 feet per base path any more. Basketball hoops would not be 10 feet off the floor any more.
So culturally, transition would be difficult. If it happens, the effect will be MASSIVELY INFLATIONARY.
Try buying a pint or half gallon of ice cream any more, for example.
The opportunity for that transition will occur when we have an effective replacement for the internal combustion engine. As long as we are buying gas (and milk) by the gallon, the days of buying by the liter are a long way off.
Roads in the Midwest are laid out on section lines or half lines. In our world, the centerline to centerline of two parallel roads is 1 mile, 320 rods or 5280 feet apart. If in your world the distance is 1,609.344 meters, great. Use whatever system is easiest for you.
I have a number of fine, non-snooty Brit friends. But the amount of anti-Americanism I’ve run into there in the past few years, especially in London, has removed England from my future travel plans.
This is what I had in mind when I made my comment concerning one's life hanging in the balance. There are many cases where it is very important that people making technical decisions have a clear understanding of the relationships (or lack thereof) between the English measurement system and the Metric system or System International.
After six years of Obama, I get the anti-American sentiment. He pissed on their contribution to the WOT. Send back Churchill’s bust (Churchill’s mother was American - not a lot of people know that).
Right now, the WORST friend you can have in the world is the USA. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and ISRAEL have formed an alliance (they call themselves ‘the axis of reason’), in which they vow to replace the aid that the US is ready to cancel in Egypt.
Saudi Arabia doesn’t even recognize Israel as a nation.
I’m telling you, we deserve what we are getting, and the downfall is going to be brutal here.
Don’t even get me started on QE. The rest of the world sees it just shy of an act of war. We make contracts with countries, then pay them back in watered down dollars. We make exports from their countries more expensive.
Our press here is death-penalty complicit in covering this shyte up too. Fox included.
An interesting side note is the catastrophic end to the Martian Orbiter in a joint venture with US and Europe. While the landing team in Europe was providing changes in speed and distance that was in Metric, their US counterparts measuring with our system, causing the spacecraft to crash when it got to low in the atmosphere.
The Brits still use mph instead of kilometers. If it’s good enough for the royal family, it’s good enough for me.
In many ways you do have no choice but to use it. At least when that’s what is being used. Highway markers are in miles, gas pumps are in gallons, fruit and meat is sold by the pound. Of course soda is in liters, automotive tools are almost all metric now, hard liquor is in liters. We have the best of both worlds, we use the measurement system that works best in that situation, even if “best” is only defined by tradition.
My Brit bro-in-law brags about how much mpg he gets by the imperial gallon which is slightly different than a U.S. gallon.
I guess you could say that it is a measure of American exceptional-ism.
I can never understand people who insist that Americans, owners of super power status, one time highest standards of living, outstanding achievements in medical, scientific, and industrial fields, so on and so forth, change the way they do things, so that we are like the rest of the world.
In the world I live in, the right and proper choice is to emulate success, not replace it with something not quite as good.
NO DAMN WAY!!
I say we kick you out!
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