Why is it that only 3 nations on this earth still use the imperial system of measurement? Not meaning to consider them any less important, but for the sake of this discussion I'll allow Liberia and Burma some latitude.
As far as the USA however, I'll allow none. The country which is the heart of the worlds financial system - so much so that the GFC was triggered by failures in the US. The country who landed men on the moon in 1969 using a computer with 32 KILOBYTES and programmed in Hex. This country, responsible for some of the worlds most modern technological and medical advances. This country STILL uses that outdated method of measurement.
Are they scared to let their citizens learn something new? Are they worried that the incumbent political party will be ousted if they try to force a change? Can you imaging the Republican party 2 years from now having a non-Metric platform. "Vote for us and we won't make you use that new-fangled system. Hell, what sort of word is Kill-o-meter anyway. I want to tell someone that it's a hunnered degrees, not 37.8 degrees Celsius."
Excuse the yokel diatribe but it makes me mad. I'm a US citizen who's lived in Australia since 1973 and have been through the major "Conversion" of road signs (1974 onward ) and packaged measures (1977 onward). My daughter wouldn't know a mile, pound or ounce from Walter Cronkite or Opie Taylor
Metrication is a generational change......... from the time it is generally implemented, it takes 30 years to effect total change.
Yes, there are 70 and 80 year old people who still say they are 5' 10" tall. They still need to drive 5 miles to the store. The kids born in the 90's though KNOW they are 170cm tall; they KNOW it's 10 kilometres to the store.
As long as the US continues to use the old system of measurements, no matter what their achievements, the world will continue to snigger behind their backs evert time they hear these archaic forms on TV and Movies.
Bob
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