What do you americans have against the metric system?

Question

It's much easier to use than the old traditional system of measuring.

to theprez No there's just one metric system.

Answer 1

The fact is it would involve re-hauling everything. Roads would have to have signs changed from miles to kilometers, store products from pints to liters etc. This would be very expensive and there would be huge confusion in the mean time. Since American don't actually have a problem understanding the concepts of miles and pints, etc, it would be a huge expense for nothing more than to appease other countries. We like our eccentricities. I know that America isn't entitled to have our way of life deemed a culture thanks to all the Ameriphobes, but we do actually have one and it cherishes things like this.

Answer 2

As an American I am embarassed that we have not adopted the metric system as the rest of the world has. When I was in elementary school my teacher told us that by the time we were adults that all Americans would use the metric system exclusively. That was almost 20 years ago and obviously that has not happened. I have lived over seas (London) and I plan to teach my children both forms of measure. Hopefully someday the rest of the country will do the same thing.

Answer 3

The problem is not us Americans havening anything against it, it is this:

It's too expensive. Let me explain.

In order for the USA to convert to metric it would require massive education in our schools, and perhaps reeducation for our adult population. Our government is not so keen to spend money to change from something that works well to something that works equally well.

Now as for people themselves. It is difficult to understand different forms of measurement when you have been trained to associate certain concepts of measurement with physical examples.

I know what 6 inches looks like. I can get a decent picture in my head, and on the whole I can mesure things in inches with my head. I am not familiar with cm's, 10, 15, or otherwise. When someone sais 15cm my brain does not relate that to a image it relates it simply to a concept.

So what it comes down it is that my measurement synapses for the imperial system is deeply wired into my brain. The synapses for metric is very loose.

Would I, or others, be willing to learn metric? Yes. But what is the point if things here run off of Imperial. If I say, 7.5 cm to most people in the USA, then they would look at me blankly then ask, "whats that in inches" so then I would have to go, "Oh, sorry, that's 3 inches."

So would It then be saving time? Would it really be easier? Not if I have to convert all measurements for the sake of others.

Answer 4

I don't know, but the metric system is easier and faster than the old traditional stuff. Plus the metric system is coherent world wide.

Answer 5

I am a Canadian and am very disappointed that we have the metric system. The metric system is very confusing.
By the way, aren't there several different metric systems? The German, Swiss, Japanese, British and North American. That alone would make it very confusing.

Answer 6

yes, and then retail workers in the rest of the world wouldn't have to learn 2 systems. By the way, did you know that American clothing sizes are 2 off from the rest of the world, I'm a 18 in Canada, but a 14 in the US. No wonder Americans are getting fat, they think a 12 is healthy

Answer 7

USA citizens are stuck on the traditional way a bit. Nothing personal about the metric, but it seems USA citizens aren't ready to make the leap of inches or centimeters change. Hmmmmmm

Answer 8

I think you don't have to abandon the metric system. You can now how to make conversions. It's useful if you are in other country or if you know something from another country.

Answer 9

I have nothing against it myself. I'm in my 50's and ever since I was a kid in school they taught us the metric system and told us that someday we would all be on the metric system, so we needed to learn it. It is used in the scientific community, and its easy, because its based on a system of 10's. so please don't say "you Americans" because its not all of us.

Answer 10

Because it works for us and it isn't hurting anybody. Plus, we're lazy we don't want to learn a new way of measuring. There was a push back in the 70s, I think, to go metric but it didn't take. We're also pretty darn stubborn.