EPTDo you use Imperial or Metric? - Page 57
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ghost_403
United States1825 Posts
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grahamite
2 Posts
The only nation to have resisted it completely just happens also to be the only nation of consequence with genuine democratic accountability to the people. There was no popular demand for metrication in England or Canada or Australia - the politicians just rammed it through. | ||
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tyCe
Australia2542 Posts
Standard is a horrible system. Funny how the historically imperialist countries have all undergone a metric revolution while the modern imperialist country is standing firm. | ||
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lachy89
Australia264 Posts
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tyCe
Australia2542 Posts
On January 20 2012 23:46 grahamite wrote: If the metric system is so wonderful, why has it had to be imposed by force everywhere it has been adopted, starting with the tyrannies of continental Europe? The only nation to have resisted it completely just happens also to be the only nation of consequence with genuine democratic accountability to the people. There was no popular demand for metrication in England or Canada or Australia - the politicians just rammed it through. And if you listened to all the populist trolls who resist change out of convenience from being in the default position, then where does progress come from? Exceptions exist everywhere. The refusal of the USA to adopt the metric system could even be argued as part of the reason or at least part of the symptoms of US stagnation. | ||
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wswordsmen
United States987 Posts
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Asshat
593 Posts
On January 20 2012 23:59 wswordsmen wrote: For the record US was actually going to switch over but no one really really prefered metric, so the government decided it wasn't worth the money to change everything to metric. Because people are afraid of change. Especially when the benefits aren't explicitly obvious, even if they are there. And the longer it gets the harder it becomes, it's only natural. Also add the american jingoism factor ("we use imperial so it's the best, metric is used by the smelly coward surrender frogs") and it's no surprise. | ||
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grahamite
2 Posts
User was banned for this post. | ||
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Nouar
France3270 Posts
On January 21 2012 00:19 grahamite wrote: Exactly my point wswordsmen - because there is real democracy in the US, such a horribly unpopular change never stood a chance. It only got through in those countries where the people just meekly do as they're told. This is so fucking blatantly racist lol. I don't even want to answer that. Nice first two posts, welcome here, I guess I have to say it while you're still here. explain to me how 1000mm = 100cm = 1m 1000m = 1km is "horribly unpopular" compared to 1 yard = 3 feet 1 feet = 12 inches and the best one 1 mile = 1760 yards = 5280 feet ??? Just an example. Sure it's easier and definitely more populor lol. Of course people in europe and the world were FORCED to adopt that system and regret it every day ....! Not. edit : well that was fast. Good bye. I won't miss you. | ||
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Rannasha
Netherlands2398 Posts
On January 21 2012 00:19 grahamite wrote: Exactly my point wswordsmen - because there is real democracy in the US, such a horribly unpopular change never stood a chance. It only got through in those countries where the people just meekly do as they're told. Well, I wouldn't call the politics in the US a "real democracy". The 2-party system with a winner-takes-it-all voting system (by that I mean that a 51% win in a state counts for just as much as a 80% landslide) means that people generally choose for the lesser evil rather than being able to vote for someone who truely represents their views. If anything, Switzerland comes closest to a "real democracy". They have a similar federal structure to the US (to some extent), but its citizens have the power to put any issue or decision by the government up for a public, binding vote. Whether that is desirable or not is a matter of opinion, but it does make it the democracy where the power of the people is the greatest and most direct. | ||
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DarkPlasmaBall
United States45673 Posts
On January 20 2012 23:59 wswordsmen wrote: For the record US was actually going to switch over but no one really really prefered metric, so the government decided it wasn't worth the money to change everything to metric. Were the scientists and mathematicians and teachers not polled? Surely the experts should have had the main say in a question like that, if such a question actually were being considered. | ||
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MattyClutch
United States711 Posts
On December 09 2011 13:41 Medrea wrote: As an American, I am both confused and angered by the metric system.  Seriously though it is just what you are used to. Metric terms mean nothing to me because I am so used to standard. If someone says 5 kilometers I understand but at the same time it just doesn't mean anything to me. Whereas 5 yards, 5 feet, or 5 inches I can instantly picture/relate. On January 20 2012 23:51 tyCe wrote: The 2nd listed advantage for Standard (note the subtle adoption of Imperial as the "standard") is imagined. Standard is a horrible system. Funny how the historically imperialist countries have all undergone a metric revolution while the modern imperialist country is standing firm. ![[image loading]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1627432/thatword.jpg) | ||
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Nouar
France3270 Posts
On January 11 2012 17:57 v3chr0 wrote: I was taught the Metric system by my Science teacher in High School because when he asked someone to convert two metric values nobody knew how. The 1 lession he gave me was simple enough to understand, I still have a little trouble with it, but to be using imperial/standard for most of my life compared to 1 lession, it's very obvious how easy Metric is compared to Standard. To me, standard feels and looks simpler, but I know its not, its just because America hardly uses metric so you don't use it often, lol. It should definitely be used instead of Standard, but... they'd need to slowly integrate it otherwise people will go nuts. We changed money 10 years ago, with a 1/6.55957 ratio, with both being showed for 2 years, it was largely enough and didn't cause a commotion :p It would definitely be feasible without TOO much problems. | ||
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FalahNorei
Germany56 Posts
metric 'cause germans do that and imperial (or as you said, "standard") because I got quite some american friends and you guys have difficulties doing math <.< (no offense meant btw, just personal experience. sorry?) | ||
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Djzapz
Canada10681 Posts
Calling the US "imperialist" is pretty funny though . Makes you think. | ||
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TigerKarl
1757 Posts
This system is a sign of a nation that wants to be special and conservative, because they have the need to define themselves by using their own measuring system. | ||
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Mr Showtime
United States1353 Posts
On January 21 2012 00:38 TigerKarl wrote: I refuse to make my life and the life of others more complicated and therefore i completely refuse to learn how much would be an inch, a yard and all of that. This system is a sign of a nation that wants to be special and conservative, because they have the need to define themselves by using their own measuring system. There is no need to if you do not live in the United States. Us Americans would rather convert to metric, but we really can't. Just a few years ago, the US government gave up on the effort to convert to metric slowly. It's far too expensive and it just can't work. The policy implemented was that all new infrastructure MUST use metric units. But, the problem was that all infrastructure created prior to this policy was made using English Standard. There are approximate conversions, but match parts where one is 5/8 inches and the other is the equivalent in metric, there will be errors. | ||
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ZasZ.
United States2911 Posts
Is the metric system simpler? Hell yeah. For someone who has never seen either system, the metric system would be much more intuitive and easier to pick up. That doesn't change the fact that everything in the U.S. is based on the imperial system. Just as an example, the state of Colorado is split up into 1 mile by 1 mile squares called Sections that are used everyday by the farming and water resource community to denote where things are. There are millions of official court documents that have locations based on Section and narrowed down by feet and decreed water resource amounts in gallons per minute (gpm) or acre-feet (af). And this is just my particular profession (water resources planning). Others may rely on the imperial system more or less than I do on a daily basis, but even a gradual switch to the metric system would completely break the infrastructure in a country that is already not in a great place. What is the big fucking deal if Americans are the only people on the planet who use this system? How does it affect your daily life? It seems most Europeans are at least comfortable with the imperial system, because they keep rattling off how 5280 feet in a mile doesn't make any sense (and it doesn't). But it's what we use, get over it. | ||
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Cejotas
Spain88 Posts
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BlitzerSC
Italy8800 Posts
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