Americans...

rextcat

The United States of America
Doing what we damn well please since 1776!

:smokin:

lol i about pee'ed when i read this:drinker:

JessiC1984

yes, please! I ml, L, km, kg

rextcat

The metric system makes me curse. I'm actually pretty sure everyone should switch to my special measurement system. It's the one where you just compare whatever it is to something else. How big was the hole in the floor? Oh, about 3 grapefruits. How heavy was that dead hooker? Oh, about 7 bowling balls. See? It works.

My favorite measurement would have to be when one of my friends was buying his new car. He would always say, "and how big is the trunk?" they'd give some sort of measurement and he'd so "no, in dead hookers . . . I generally like my trunk to be at least large enough to fit 3 dead hookers." He finally bought the car from the sales person who asked "now are we talking whole or in pieces, because that does make a difference in how they fit."

:laugh: my dad used the system for his cars to only he prefurs at space for at least 6

bregalad5

Upper level math and science classes are probably the only place in my life I ever actually did use the metric system, and I promptly forgot most of what I learned post-math and science classes. I'm not what one would call "left brained" so to speak lol

I substitute teach Pre-K through 4, and have had to review metric with students more than once. Having traveled Europe quite a bit, and lived there for around 6 months twice, I have a decent working knowledge of the system. It's pretty easy to do rough conversions, too, like just divide by 2.2, so 110 lb is ~50kg

I'm in Canada and to really confuse people (including ourselves) we regularly use both. It's especially hard when working out and losing weight. So, I'm 5'3" and 149lbs - don't have a clue how many centimetres or kilograms that is. I measure my distance ran/walked using metric (kilometres) which is confusing since my treadmill uses imperial. Anything I drink is in millimetres or litres, but food portions are by cups. Body temperature is imperial, but outdoor temperature is metric (Celsius) LOL!

Ha, yes! I grew up about 45 minutes from Niagara Falls and could never figure out which measurement to use for what when I was over there :laugh:

hesn92

Here in America, we like to be "different" and "special"

superstankazz

The United States of America
Doing what we damn well please since 1776!

:smokin:

Now I feel patriotic. It's our right to bastardize measurement systems to fit our needs.

YES and YES!

mikewpg1ca

At least the rest of the world and the U.S. don't have an identity crisis. As other have said, in Canada we regularly mix metric and imperial. Milk, Juice, Pop, Water, Beer - Metric, Hard liquor, people usually talk about buying a 40 or 26, as in oz. Buying meat, metric. Cooking and recipes, that's all over the place mixing both. Driving and distances, metric. Well unless you live in rural Canada where all of the country roads are mile roads. People talk gas mileage in miles per gallon, which is ironic since we drive in KMs and buy gas in litres. Running, the majority of runners I've ever encountered (quite a number), run in miles and talk about their pace 8 min. miles, or 10 min min mile pace. For height and weight, if I went up to the majority of Canadians and asked them if they knew their own height and weight in metric I'd be surprised if 10% could get it right without having to think about it and even then most people wouldn't have a clue. Needless to say, the mass majority of people talk about their height and weight in feet and pounds. We've been teaching the metric system in school since I was in kindergarten 35 years ago, but yet certain measurements of the imperial system are still used regularly.

Pebble321

I don't get why you use a mixture - like macros are measured in grams but food and human weight is in ounces.
And runners talk about pace in miles but then say they ran 5k race.
Odd!

TheBraveryLover

Overly patriotic [Americans] annoy me and always have, but this is one of the instances where I see no need to change what we do. We're fine with this system, so why are you bothered by it? I convert things all of the time. It's called google. :-)

TJamesChristensen

I can't stand our system, metric is so much easier. My motorcycle is metric which means I have to have two sets of tools. While we are at it could be end the time change also, it hasn't been relevant in my life time.

fluffysexyme

I can't stand our system, metric is so much easier. My motorcycle is metric which means I have to have two sets of tools. While we are at it could be end the time change also, it hasn't been relevant in my life time.

Amen to the time change! I could care less about the measurements though! I'm in optics and we use both, so you get used it.

mfp_1

firesoforion wrote:
Converting to the metric system as a society would be a *massively* expensive proposition.

Metric-only food labels are illegal. That government-imposed ban costs us money.

Ironman2be

I remember my 5th grade teacher (29 years ago) telling us the rest of the world was in the process of converting to our system....yes Mr. Mason you were wrong!

SuffolkSally

At least the rest of the world and the U.S. don't have an identity crisis. As other have said, in Canada we regularly mix metric and imperial. Milk, Juice, Pop, Water, Beer - Metric, Hard liquor, people usually talk about buying a 40 or 26, as in oz. Buying meat, metric. Cooking and recipes, that's all over the place mixing both. Driving and distances, metric. Well unless you live in rural Canada where all of the country roads are mile roads. People talk gas mileage in miles per gallon, which is ironic since we drive in KMs and buy gas in litres. Running, the majority of runners I've ever encountered (quite a number), run in miles and talk about their pace 8 min. miles, or 10 min min mile pace. For height and weight, if I went up to the majority of Canadians and asked them if they knew their own height and weight in metric I'd be surprised if 10% could get it right without having to think about it and even then most people wouldn't have a clue. Needless to say, the mass majority of people talk about their height and weight in feet and pounds. We've been teaching the metric system in school since I was in kindergarten 35 years ago, but yet certain measurements of the imperial system are still used regularly.

The UK is much the same in terms of confusion!

andreanicole686

We are special. Stubborn. Snowflakes.

haha so true!!

angryguy77

we'll start using the metric system when the world stops coming to us to solve their problems.

renku

Hi I'm a Canadian, born in the 70s

I weigh myself in pounds and my food in grams
I ride my bike in kmph but miles are still the distance that my mind comprehends better
My height is in feet and inches, I also build with lumber in 2X4" wood and 4X8' plywood
The only real tempature system I understand is Celcius

Metric does make more sense to me.. But I grew up in an era that we were only converting from Imperial.

(An odd side note to my American friends, your Imperial weights and measures are legally defined federally in metric, technically the USA was on the metric system before Canada adopted it, yours is just a strange decimal version of it.)

Sockimobi

At least the rest of the world and the U.S. don't have an identity crisis. As other have said, in Canada we regularly mix metric and imperial. Milk, Juice, Pop, Water, Beer - Metric, Hard liquor, people usually talk about buying a 40 or 26, as in oz. Buying meat, metric. Cooking and recipes, that's all over the place mixing both. Driving and distances, metric. Well unless you live in rural Canada where all of the country roads are mile roads. People talk gas mileage in miles per gallon, which is ironic since we drive in KMs and buy gas in litres. Running, the majority of runners I've ever encountered (quite a number), run in miles and talk about their pace 8 min. miles, or 10 min min mile pace. For height and weight, if I went up to the majority of Canadians and asked them if they knew their own height and weight in metric I'd be surprised if 10% could get it right without having to think about it and even then most people wouldn't have a clue. Needless to say, the mass majority of people talk about their height and weight in feet and pounds. We've been teaching the metric system in school since I was in kindergarten 35 years ago, but yet certain measurements of the imperial system are still used regularly.

The UK is much the same in terms of confusion!

I was going to say this!

UK uses lbs and stones for human weight, litres for soft drinks, pints for beer, ml / cl for spirits, grams for food weight, miles for long distance and speed, metres for shorter distance and erm also feet and yards.

GasMasterFlash

Metric-only food labels are illegal. That government-imposed ban costs us money.

How so?

k8blujay2

we'll start using the metric system when the world stops coming to us to solve their problems.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Sockimobi

we'll start using the metric system when the world stops coming to us to solve their problems.

:noway:

GasMasterFlash

we'll start using the metric system when the world stops coming to us to solve their problems.

(high five)

mtaylor33557

I was watching "Big Bang Theory" last night and Sheldon was complaing about this very same thing.

He blamed it on Jimmy Carter setting the country on a track to convert, but never following through. He went on to add that it was no wonder he was a "1 term president".

mfp_1

GasMasterFlas wrote:

Metric-only food labels are illegal. That government-imposed ban costs us money.

How so?

The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act makes it a federal offence to have metric-only labels on most packaged food.

GasMasterFlash

Metric-only food labels are illegal. That government-imposed ban costs us money.

How so?

The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act makes it a federal offence to have metric-only labels on most packaged food.

I understand that. How does that cost anyone money? Manufacturers can avoid the fine by using standard or standard and metric.

yogsvr4

If the people paying the bills want it changed, it'll change. Not before.

deftanker

Seriously America, can't we get with the picture and use the metric system like the rest of the world?

I'm sick of having to convert weights and distances and food conversions.

Okay, rant over.

ummmmmmm



No

dizzydi1968

The metric system makes perfect sense. Except maybe the 'stone' nonsense. But kg, m, L, cm, g, km, that's where it's at.

My country is foolish in a lot of ways.

Stone is not metric, it's British weirdness.

Its not british weirdness, historically we had pounds (14 of which make up a stone) long before the usa had a measuring system.

I'm not that fussed about the metric system either but it is forced upon us by our european neighbours.

Diary_Queen

We are special. Stubborn. Snowflakes.

I personally am the flakiest!

ActiveGuy81

Well my weight would look better in kilograms, just saying.