Why Americans don't use metric
video description
Date: 2020-01-28
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 8
Chris
The language argument at 10: 10 supposes that the polyglots of the world have learned their extra languages because their native tongue wouldn't get them as far as English gets an American. Is the supposition true? Everything I can find seems to indicate that English will get you anything anywhere except in very rare circumstance. A Czech could go through life in their Republic with only English, but they learn other languages anyway. I think (and I'm betraying my political opinions, here) that American monolingualism is the result of American classism. Inherent in the idea that English is all the working man needs is the idea that the working man needs only that which helps them work. Learning other languages, standards- Even considering or tolerating them- Are luxuries on which the wage slave ought not waste their time. They need to stay focused on work, after all. None of that is to say that there's a grand conspiracy to keep laborers subjugated by resisting metric, rather that it is neither means nor end, just a symptom.
reply
The language argument at 10: 10 supposes that the polyglots of the world have learned their extra languages because their native tongue wouldn't get them as far as English gets an American. Is the supposition true? Everything I can find seems to indicate that English will get you anything anywhere except in very rare circumstance. A Czech could go through life in their Republic with only English, but they learn other languages anyway. I think (and I'm betraying my political opinions, here) that American monolingualism is the result of American classism. Inherent in the idea that English is all the working man needs is the idea that the working man needs only that which helps them work. Learning other languages, standards- Even considering or tolerating them- Are luxuries on which the wage slave ought not waste their time. They need to stay focused on work, after all. None of that is to say that there's a grand conspiracy to keep laborers subjugated by resisting metric, rather that it is neither means nor end, just a symptom.
reply
drprogensteinphp
When shopping for building supplies in Canada, you still but 1 nails, 2X4 lumber, 4'x8' sheets of plywood, drywall, etc. No explanation needed for this, as the answer is pretty obvious. As a Canadian in his mid 60's, I would say most of us use metric about half the time. The main reason for this is that as citizens we have no choice in the matter, and are directly influenced by what's presented to us. For instance; The weather network and all weather forecasts are metric, and all speed limit signage on roadways are metric. If someone asks me for the current temp outside, or how far I've driven my car, I'll give them the answer in metric. If someone asks me my weight, height, or what temperature to bake a cake, I'll always answer in Imperial. I have noticed that some younger Canadians will use metric more frequently than those of us brought up and educated prior to the metric system being adopted in Canada (pre 1974-ish.
reply
When shopping for building supplies in Canada, you still but 1 nails, 2X4 lumber, 4'x8' sheets of plywood, drywall, etc. No explanation needed for this, as the answer is pretty obvious. As a Canadian in his mid 60's, I would say most of us use metric about half the time. The main reason for this is that as citizens we have no choice in the matter, and are directly influenced by what's presented to us. For instance; The weather network and all weather forecasts are metric, and all speed limit signage on roadways are metric. If someone asks me for the current temp outside, or how far I've driven my car, I'll give them the answer in metric. If someone asks me my weight, height, or what temperature to bake a cake, I'll always answer in Imperial. I have noticed that some younger Canadians will use metric more frequently than those of us brought up and educated prior to the metric system being adopted in Canada (pre 1974-ish.
reply
Robert
I had Hello Fresh for quite a while and there are many issues to be had. As far sustainability, the extra fuel costs for this to be trucked around and ice blocks more than makeup for any environmental benefits. I regularly(almost weekly) had missing ingredients or they were past their prime. The serving sizes are pretty poor for some things and they don't increase by double when you buy a two or four serving meal. They will give you two tiny vegetables that are not enough for two people never mind four, but then give you far more potatoes than needed. The pasta dishes tend to be pretty good and good size portions. The prices are absolutely astronomical though. Typically 8. 50 per serving for a simple past dish is crazy and then if you want the special dishes they offer, they can cost nearly 20 per serving For 20 a serving I expect the food to be cooked and served to me and not have dishes to clean up later.
reply
I had Hello Fresh for quite a while and there are many issues to be had. As far sustainability, the extra fuel costs for this to be trucked around and ice blocks more than makeup for any environmental benefits. I regularly(almost weekly) had missing ingredients or they were past their prime. The serving sizes are pretty poor for some things and they don't increase by double when you buy a two or four serving meal. They will give you two tiny vegetables that are not enough for two people never mind four, but then give you far more potatoes than needed. The pasta dishes tend to be pretty good and good size portions. The prices are absolutely astronomical though. Typically 8. 50 per serving for a simple past dish is crazy and then if you want the special dishes they offer, they can cost nearly 20 per serving For 20 a serving I expect the food to be cooked and served to me and not have dishes to clean up later.
reply
Forest
I saw this written recently, by an American I believe. He did call it the 'American' system rather than the Imperial system though. In Metric, one millilitre of water occupies one cubic centimetre, weighs one gram and requires one calorie1 of energy to heat it up by one degree centigrade - which is 1 per cent of the difference between it's freezing point and it's boiling point. An amount of Hydrogen weighing the same amount has exactly one mole of atoms in it. Whereas, in the Imperial system, the answer to How much energy does it take to boil a room-temperature gallon of water? is Go f yourself, because you can't directly relate any of those quantities.
reply
I saw this written recently, by an American I believe. He did call it the 'American' system rather than the Imperial system though. In Metric, one millilitre of water occupies one cubic centimetre, weighs one gram and requires one calorie1 of energy to heat it up by one degree centigrade - which is 1 per cent of the difference between it's freezing point and it's boiling point. An amount of Hydrogen weighing the same amount has exactly one mole of atoms in it. Whereas, in the Imperial system, the answer to How much energy does it take to boil a room-temperature gallon of water? is Go f yourself, because you can't directly relate any of those quantities.
reply
Alina
Excellent video, Adam. It's interesting to think also about why imperial measurements are the way they are- they don't stem from scientific thinking, but from human experience. It's not a coincidence that our own body temperature is close to 100 degrees, or that in most places 100 degrees is about how hot it gets in summer (and 0 is about how cold it gets in the winter. It's literally on a scale of 0-100, where 100 is a blazing afternoon in July and 0 is a freezing night in December, how hot is it outside? and I find that super interesting. It's like a little peek into history, before scientific precision was as important as it is today.
reply
Excellent video, Adam. It's interesting to think also about why imperial measurements are the way they are- they don't stem from scientific thinking, but from human experience. It's not a coincidence that our own body temperature is close to 100 degrees, or that in most places 100 degrees is about how hot it gets in summer (and 0 is about how cold it gets in the winter. It's literally on a scale of 0-100, where 100 is a blazing afternoon in July and 0 is a freezing night in December, how hot is it outside? and I find that super interesting. It's like a little peek into history, before scientific precision was as important as it is today.
reply
Bastion
Everyone: Ahh hah hahh. those filthy othersiders, using their funny little instuments, we know that our Firstsiders measurements are the bestEveryone elseHah haha hah, those old quaint and outdated Firstsiders, using their funny little instruments and fibblenobs, everyone knows that our improved othersider measurements are the bestAlso them: Light a pizza on fire and drive to the drive thru to pick a hamburger up. MMMM. IMPERIAL OR METRIC HAMBURGERS. I will order the 20 killogram of burger and the megashake fries
reply
Everyone: Ahh hah hahh. those filthy othersiders, using their funny little instuments, we know that our Firstsiders measurements are the bestEveryone elseHah haha hah, those old quaint and outdated Firstsiders, using their funny little instruments and fibblenobs, everyone knows that our improved othersider measurements are the bestAlso them: Light a pizza on fire and drive to the drive thru to pick a hamburger up. MMMM. IMPERIAL OR METRIC HAMBURGERS. I will order the 20 killogram of burger and the megashake fries
reply
Toby
Where the whole you can divide it easier falls down in machining is that for anything vaguely small the standard unit is thal which is a thousandth of an inch, which is just base 10. So there isn't really a convenient way of converting between the two. also more importantly America didn't save the brits in either world war. The first especially when they only showed up in 1918 and the second would have certainly gone on longer but assuming the allies would have lost is a bit of an exaggeration.
reply
Where the whole you can divide it easier falls down in machining is that for anything vaguely small the standard unit is thal which is a thousandth of an inch, which is just base 10. So there isn't really a convenient way of converting between the two. also more importantly America didn't save the brits in either world war. The first especially when they only showed up in 1918 and the second would have certainly gone on longer but assuming the allies would have lost is a bit of an exaggeration.
reply
harrjitzuu
Everybody knows that China, the worlds biggest producer of goods, uses imperial units, as it is more effective. Also, I sleep well, knowing that American units are not defined from the SI system. Kidding aside, I would say it mostly comes down what you learn in school. If the imperial system was more intuitive to use, then I would suppose we would have adapted to it in Europe again in the trade crafts here, simply because of the efficiency, but that does not seem to be the case.
reply
Everybody knows that China, the worlds biggest producer of goods, uses imperial units, as it is more effective. Also, I sleep well, knowing that American units are not defined from the SI system. Kidding aside, I would say it mostly comes down what you learn in school. If the imperial system was more intuitive to use, then I would suppose we would have adapted to it in Europe again in the trade crafts here, simply because of the efficiency, but that does not seem to be the case.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
