Let's Go Metric!

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"And the Vikings get a new first-and-9.144. First down and 9.144 to go after a gain of 1.793."

"And that was one tough metre-and-three-quarters, Al. ... A metre-and-three-quarters-plus, actually."

Let football lead the way. Just change the field to 100 meters!
 
All science is done using the metric system. And you know how well science is believed in this country ...
 
Not. Gonna. Happen.

C'mon, we still have a school year calendar based on agriculture, even though 99.5 percent of Americans no longer live on farms.

Inertia is a powerful force, whatever system you use to measure it.
 
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Not. Gonna. Happen.

C'mon, we still have a school year calendar based on agriculture, even though 99.5 percent of Americans no longer live on farms.

Inertia is a powerful force, whatever system you use to measure it.

Inertia is a very powerful force. But it is not just stubbornness in play here. There will be inconveniences and costs for a lot of areas if that kind of change can be mandated and enforced by some authority. Machinery will have to be refitted. Manuals rewritten. Technical drawings totally redone, for example.

These are the kinds of changes you only make if there is a compelling reason to do it. As the world has globalized over the last few decades, it has made sense for a lot of American companies, and industries, to switch to metric measurements to standardize to the rest of the world that uses it . And it is all around us. For example, pharmaceuticals are only sold in metric doses in the U.S. That will probably continue to happen on its own, but to the extent that there are areas where the costs or inconveniences outweigh any benefits, there are areas of our lives that really don't have a good reason to make the switch.
 
I love the metric system because I always know exactly how many milliliters are in my decaf soy frappaccino I like to drink with my kale salad.
 
The first time you go to Canada, one of your first thoughts is, "wow, gas is cheap here."

Then you realize it's priced in liters, not gallons. After figuring out what the **** a liter is (thank you American Standard), you realize gas is expensive as hell.

The same with speed limit signs.

"Wow, I can go 90 on this two-lane twisty road?"

Only, it's in kilometers, which you realize when you nearly drive off the road.
 
More and more everyday products are sized metrically.

I recall when Procter & Gamble were dug in against even printing equivalent metric sizes on their labels when we had our first craze. Now their shampoo bottles are 400 ml, etc.
 

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