Why do people insist on not using the Metric system?

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You use what you know. The U.S. schools teach Imperial and metric, but retail uses Imperial almost exclusively. The last time retail establishments tried to enforce metric, the customers protested and threatened boycotts.

I think a lot of it has to do with a right-wing fear of an alleged left-wing plot to place the U.S. economy under the direction of the E.U




...Your last comment runs into something I have often thought, and since we're toughly the same age, maybe you can comment from memory here...I seem to recall that, when Jimmy Carter was U.S. President, there was some - I can't maybe think of the right phrase here, maybe " plan "? " concept "? - plan in motion to seitch measurements in the US to the metric system that had moved along to someone degree but got unplugged) turned off when Reagan came in (Much as he got rid of the solar energy panels that Carter had put up at the White House, IIRC ) - not precisely, perhaps, because Ronnie himself felt in such a way the fear that you cite in your last paragraph, but that some of Reagan's big supporters sorts felt that way, or at least " He-e-eell No! We ain't gonna let them dang furriners tell the Yew Ess Aye what t'do no sir! Why, they're just a buncha' stinkin' Commies anyway!! ! " Some " red meat to the base ", I believe they put it nowadaze !

No, it isn't. It only has greater integer resolution -- 180°F from freezing to boiling (water), as opposed to 100°C for the same range. In either system, you can tack on the fractional decimal places until you get to the exact value you need.

I find it reallly hilarious!

Because we live in a country where people have required "NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE" to be printed on the sidewalls of wheelbarrow tires, instructions on bottles of shampoo, and 2 out of 5 people think Spanky's MAGA.

And Metric really isn't all that hard to learn either. I know my city has a few signs up in Metric from the 70s too.

I asked a few acquaintances what they thought of the Metric System. None of them were scientists, technicians, engineers or mathematicians, so of course their responses were somewhat less than logical ones. I condensed their responses into this list of ...

Fnord's Top Ten Reasons for Opposing Metrication

[satire]

10. The Metric System is elitist, in that when a government imposes metric rule on its citizens, it is always the bureaucrats and politicians that learn how to use it first.

9. The Metric System gives unfair advantage to people who are skilled in math at the expense of those who are unskilled in math. For example, merchants who embrace the Metric System will more easily conceal the inflated prices of their goods from an unsuspecting public.

8. A move to the Metric System is a move to closed-mindedness. The rigidity of the Metric System stifles creativity and imposes a robot-like system of rote learning upon our children.

7. The Imperial system is based on dividing by powers of 2 -- 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, et cetera -- thus making it more compatible with the binary systems of most modern computers than the Metric System, which is divisible by powers of 10.

6. The European Union is using metrication as a means to impose its dominance over the economies of the world.

5. Metrication is an Anarchist plot, in that the process of converting to the Metric System will bring American industry to a halt, put Americans out of work, destroy the American economy, and bring an end to civilization as we know it.

4. The Metric System is a Communist plot, because the communists want one of everything - one world, one monetary system, one government, one educational system and now, one measurement system.

3. The Metric System is Socialist plot. By compromising our American standards of measurement, we only enable those immigrants who refuse to assimilate and who only wish to be leeches upon our American largess.

2. America is the greatest country in the world! Why should we conform to the rest of the world? THEY should conform to US!

And the Number One reason why converting to the Metric System is a bad idea:

1. The Metric System is blasphemy! People were endowed by their Creator with feet and pounds, not meters and grams! What the Creator has put together, let no one pull asunder.

[/satire]

Honestly I can't even remember the names of most of the numerous Imperial units, let alone what the conversions are.

so did I at the time