3 ms·
The vast majority of organizations in the US already use the metric system in places where the metric system makes sense. Basically everyone who wants to use i
by gtmitchell 4y ago
The vast majority of organizations in the US already use the metric system in places where the metric system makes sense. Basically everyone who wants to use it is already using it.
For everything else, what's the point in the government mandating it? There's no political desire for it because society in general doesn't care, and society doesn't care because the costs outweigh the benefits. There's no practical advantage to the average person to learn their height in meters instead of inches and feet, or to have to start shopping for hectograms of food when ounces work just fine.
- adregan 4y agoIn 1821, Secretary of State and the future president, John Quincy Adams released a report on weights and measures to congress. He had labored over the report obsessively for more than 3 years as he was absolutely fascinated by the metric system. Adams expected the report to catch fire and result in the adoption of the metric system. In actuality, it was a dud, and congress did nothing about it. His wife however noted in her diary “Thank God we hear no more of Weights and Measures.” Society not caring about this issue is nearly as old as the country itself. But I can imagine John Quincy Adams, if alive today, would probably be just the type of person posting an “Ask HN” question on the US adoption of the metric system.
- laserdancepony 4y agoNever seen a hectogram in Europe, everything less than a kilogram is labelled in grams. Combined with the concerns of another commenter who scratched his head about having to give his body length as 183cm, I come to the conclusion American brains overflow after 99.
- thefz 4y agoIn Italy we use "etto" (100g) a lot, especially with groceries/deli.