Imperial or Metric system?

[Vagrant0]

In the US, it's a matter of politics, not practicality. They could easily start phasing in metric with normal measurement study and product labeling, but they won't.

[phoneyLogic]

In the US, it's a matter of politics, not practicality. They could easily start phasing in metric with normal measurement study and product labeling, but they won't.

Afaik you are already using two systems. The metric system in science and the imperial system for home use. But at least almost every country in the world went through the decission. You only can handle this by law. I don't really ever see such a law coming in the US, but it won't happen by itself. People are always just too used to their daily measures.

[Surenas]

In the US, it's a matter of politics, not practicality. They could easily start phasing in metric with normal measurement study and product labeling, but they won't.

Afaik you are already using two systems. The metric system in science and the imperial system for home use. But at least almost every country in the world went through the decission. You only can handle this by law. I don't really ever see such a law coming in the US, but it won't happen by itself. People are always just too used to their daily measures.

 

The law will come within the next generation, simply not to play the last Imperial Mohican. In those days the US will be reduced to a mere relative importance either way, probably the initial spark for a change - and then they can ^^

[ginnyfizz]

I just don't get this need to try and compel people to use one or the other system. It's both totalitarian and at the same time, naive. Naive because you just can't standardize everything and put it in neat little boxes, and thinking you can do so will only lead to frustration. And totalitarian, because someone is telling me "Because I say so". Like the man said "Aw, nuts!" I don't see what is wrong with using metric when dealing with friends and customers in continental Europe, and Imperial here in Britain. Live and let live, I say. I rather like being five foot nine rather than 1.74m. And buying my groceries in whatever units I please. I do not see why we need a law to force us one way or the other.

[Surenas]

I just don't get this need to try and compel people to use one or the other system. It's both totalitarian and at the same time, naive. Naive because you just can't standardize everything and put it in neat little boxes, and thinking you can do so will only lead to frustration. And totalitarian, because someone is telling me "Because I say so". Like the man said "Aw, nuts!" I don't see what is wrong with using metric when dealing with friends and customers in continental Europe, and Imperial here in Britain. Live and let live, I say. I rather like being five foot nine rather than 1.74m. And buying my groceries in whatever units I please. I do not see why we need a law to force us one way or the other.

 

Wrong. It's naive to insist on something nobody outside of the homeland is still interested in, even more - it's arrogant. Only time will teach the stubborn a lesson...

[ginnyfizz]

No, not wrong, because we are not insisting on anyone else using the Imperial system. It should be noted that at no time have I said that I am for compelling countries that want to use the metric system, to use the Imperial system. That's a very strange use of the word arrogance which last I heard was defined thus;-

 

Arrogance - Webster's Dictionary

 

Once more, those of us who wish to continue to be allowed to use the Imperial system in our own nations, neither claim it is better than the metric nor do we want to impose it on others. It is merely a case of it being what we are used to using. And when shipping goods to countries that use the metric system, we will use the metric system in terms of pricing, on all the documents, etc, etc. That certainly does not fit any definition of arrogance that I know. What DOES fit the definition of arrogance is being told by the EU "You will use the metric system because we say so, because we use it and it is better." There is very little that is more calculated to raise the hackles of perfide Albion (or, indeed, America) than that.

[Surenas]

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

 

The overall prize for cooking the own soup for too long is the final fading away of the cook.

Arrogance is the proud self-assurance of the fool before the fall. I have thought it would be clear after my cubit example. Unfortunately, it is not the case. All right!

[ginnyfizz]

Er, yes, but Britain is a series of islands, hehe! I am familiar with the works of John Donne by the way, studied him at school. There is no question of pride or self assurance going on here. Once more, with feeling...we do not wish to compel those who are happy with metric to use Imperial. When dealing with metricated countries, we respect that and deal in metric. We do not criticize any country that chooses for themselves to be metric. That is called fair-mindedness, not arrogance. And it is why we cannot understand why we, who do not wish to force our system on others, should be forced into using the metric system. There is absolutely no way that can be termed arrogance. And as for cubits...we don't use those any more, believe it or not.

[Marthos]

Have to say that I one hundred percent agree with Ginnyfizz on this one, everything Ginny has said is fair enough and theres no pride or arrogance in what she's said what so ever.

 

What angers me is that whilst these so called politicians in the EU are sat there coming up with dozy ideas like selling eggs by the gramme, they're getting paid for it.

 

These are the same twits that came up with the idea of seatbelts for motorcycles btw, glad that one got scrapped after testing.

 

Nobody in the UK is trying to force anything on anybody else, its the other way round.

[phoneyLogic]

It isn't arrogant. But since you have one imperial system in whole GB, I assume once uppon a time this has been forced by law. Otherwise you'd end up with a huuge mixture of different measures in every small ville (like in Germany long time ago where every little state had its own measures and coins since one king gave up some of his royal regalias ;).

 

All weights and measures are normally under control of the emperors. So it is not entirely right to call the imperial system "freedom" and the metric system "forced". well, both were forced by law in history.

 

The main difference is that the metric system mostly spread over the world by freely reasonable parlamentarian decisions while the imperial system mostly spread by the sword.

 

So imperial is the evil one. ;D