The Metric System

[liberalcynic]

Agreed...

Think of it this way... instead of an 8 inch cock you can now boast you have 20cm Cock!! or even better! A 200mm cock!!

Or 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 yoctometres?

 

[snobbes]

The Brits are approaching the metric system inch by inch.

 

[2322]

Sorry, I din't realise that your quote wasn't added, that was what I was attacking using your arguement as supporting matirial, but I just don't normally quote, nor post, and I stuffed up... sorry.

I suggest you continue that policy.










"matirial, arguement, definatly, din't??" People in glass houses...

 

[pseudoquasi]

I think the metric system should be used internationally but the standard language used for describing cock size is inches. I am metric educated but a saying 21.5 cm cock is not as sexy as an 8 incher!

 

[dong20]

.. 21.5 cm cock is not as sexy as an 8 incher!

But it is bigger. :smile:

 

[DC_DEEP]

You would say "give us a centimetre, and we'll take a 1 kilometre."

The Metric System works far better, and is much simplier. everything is in losts of 10s, whilst you have your 1000 thou(Proper English)("mil" in your bastardised" Americanised "English") to theInch, 12 inches to a foot, 3 feet to a yard, 220 yards to the furlong, 8 furlongs to the mile, 3 miles to the league.
All in lots of tens, simple, easy, and obviously better since every other country, except the USA and 2 other, have adopted since they've realised the benifits of having it.

Issues, much? Honestly, you should try to avoid being so supercilious. It is quite unattractive.

And other than horseracing, I know of no instances of furlongs being in common usage; other than nautical references, I don't know of leagues being in common usage.

I am quite fluent in the use of metric (SI), metric (common), Imperial, and US Common measurement systems. I'm not sure why anyone would get his panties in a wad over which system anyone else uses. Pounds, slugs, kilograms, newtons, it doesn't matter. Slugs & kilograms for mass, pounds and newtons for weight. Who cares?

Perhaps those of us who can use either system should be condescending to those who whine about the "inferiority" of the one system or the other.

 

[LongRod]

US tried it in the seventies...Most Americans were too stupid to understand it!

No, it wasn't that Americans were too stupid to understand it. Americans were too inflexible to migrate to another measurment standard. Actually it is easier because it is a 10 base measuring system, but we are so used to 8 ounces = 1 cup; 16 ounces = 1 pint; 16 ounces = 1 pound but 1 pint is not 1 pound. 12 inches = 1 foot; 3ft=1 yard; 5,280 ft= 1 mile.

Now, there were certain Americans that mastered grams, kilograms etc. They could just take a look and they knew how much a kilo was, without using a scale.

 

[mista geechee]

So there's a problem with education levels? So are you claiming the people of Iraq, Thailand, Tanzania, Zimbarbwe, Sudan have higher education levels than in the USA? Well if you elected Bush, It could be plausable.
You've also "dumb-ed-down" your English. It is so sad to have the word 'herb' sound 'h-less,' and see each adjective become a verb some how. Word's like Americanization, really should be spelt with a 's' Americanisation; (exempli gratia) Golabalisation, et cetera.

what's the problem with our english sounding different? our enlglish is now dumb because its's different?

 

[D_Thoraxis_Biggulp]

All I can think of when I read this thread is marley's signature quote about your father's hand-me-down anger.

Now, to address the issue at hand:
A lot of products and materials here are built on a standard of feet and inches, and as we all know, that system does not convert cleanly into metric. So, to convert to the metric system would be a long and arduous process of weeding out everything from those currently in production to those produced but not yet in use. Otherwise, these companies would suffer a severe inventory loss, and we can all agree that we can't afford that right now.
Sure, we could do it, but frankly when it comes to domestic operations, it's just not worth the trouble.

 

[deleted136887]

What will USA do with all those 11/16" spanners? ship 'em of to Burma? So may just as well keep the imperial system( anyway, US is more like an Empire, so they need imperial stuff, right?)

 

[SteveHd]

Another metric pissing battle?

http://www.lpsg.org/62183-metric-system-and-the-usa.html

 

[MASSIVEPKGO_CHUCK]

I wouldn't touch it with a 10.5 ' pole

 

[LongRod]

Hey, was wonder why the USA hasn't adopted the Metric System. It's as if you measure and weight everything as if you were in the 18th century. There are only 3 countries in the world which have not adopted it, one is the USA, and the other 2 are developing. Why can't SI units be used?

Easy answer. It is too expensive. The USA has too much invested in USA weights and measures. We have built a whole nation measured in inches, feet, yards, ounces, pints, quarts gallons so that we can't suddenly change to cm, mm, meters, liters kilograms, etc. If we started manufacturing everything in millimeters, cm, liter, etc, then nothing will fit. 6 millermeter Tools won't work on 2 inch bolts. Trains with wheels axles 2 meters wide will not fit on tracks 7 feet wide.

 

[losangelestim]

inches are so much more "manly" than centimeters in my opinion. i think that even if the USA went metric that penis length and girth should still be measured in inches.

 

[SteveHd]

inches are so much more "manly" than centimeters in my opinion. ...

In a similar vein, I call our system the "Macho System". :smile:

 

[kalipygian]

It is not an entirely correct statement to say that the US has not adopted the metric system.

Also many other customary units are in common use in other countries.

The US authorized use of the metric system in 1866.

the US joined the international metric convention in 1875.

In 1893 all customary units were officially defined by international metric standards.

It has been used for science and science education at least from the 60's.

In 1975 it was adopted for use by federal agencies and the military. A metrification board was set up. I saw some federal road signs in Kilometers in the late 70's. (I bought a new dodge van in 1977 that had a metric speedometer) This was stopped by Reagan in 1982.

In 1985 metric was made the preferred system for commodity labels.

Since 1994 commodity labels are required to include metric measure. Currently, metric only labels are legal, avoirdupois only are not.

You will not find a single SAE fastener on a new car built in the US. The automotive and electronic industries are entirely metric, as is anything made for export.

Some states have road signs in both systems.

Though Britain may be 'officially' metric, they do not seem to be changing their road signs over in much of a hurry, and still measure their beer in pints, and themselves in stone. Canadian lumber does not seem to have changed from customary measure. Canadian food etc. labels seem to be still using dual denomination. (bilingualism is in the constitution, right?)

 

[No_Strings]

Easy answer. It is too expensive. The USA has too much invested in USA weights and measures. We have built a whole nation measured in inches, feet, yards, ounces, pints, quarts gallons so that we can't suddenly change to cm, mm, meters, liters kilograms, etc. If we started manufacturing everything in millimeters, cm, liter, etc, then nothing will fit.

'Metric countries' also use miles, inches, feet, yards, ounces, pounds and stones, surprisingly.

Most containers are labelled with both form of measurements.

6 millermeter Tools won't work on 2 inch bolts. Trains with wheels axles 2 meters wide will not fit on tracks 7 feet wide.

I square peg doesn't usually fit into a round hole either, but a 5.08cm or 2.13m peg will.

 

[D_Thoraxis_Biggulp]

Those are only approximations though, and often times even being off by just under a hundredth of an inch can dangerously offset the final result. Trains being one of those cases.

 

[No_Strings]

Those are only approximations though, and often times even being off by just under a hundredth of an inch can dangerously offset the final result. Trains being one of those cases.

Aye, but I'm no engineer.

Regardless, having jugs and bottles measured in litres doesn't suddenly make all imperial units and tools obsolete. Some here seem to think it has to be a cut 'n' dry switch.

 

[D_Thoraxis_Biggulp]

Well, people are suggesting that the fact that we still use the imperial system for anything at all means we haven't converted. And if throwing it out altogether is what it takes to truly convert, it's not going to happen.