> The evil Metric system is trying to come in and BASH my right to use inches. I see this attempt at an uneccesarily, impractically decimal measuring system creep its way into my schools and television and hospitals and many other places, silently slipping in when no one's looking. Forced metrication is a hideous, disgusting idea. In the United Kingdom it is already illegal to use the Imperial system in shops, even though we have been using it without problems for centuries. Some say the Metric system is Easier or Better or Much Simpler For The American Populace. Not so, you metromaniacs. The Imperial system is based on things you actually USE, ensuring useful units. The Metric system, however, insists on using measurements unhelpfully based on the meter. And what is a meter? Is it an arm's length? Is it the distance between you and your television set? No, it is one millionth of the distance between Paris and the equator. THAT'S helpful. "Excuse me, Mr. Parisian, how far to the equator?"

A meter was originally designated as one-ten millionth of the length of the earth's meridian along a quadrant (one fourth the circumference of the earth). Not quite as trivial as the distance from Paris to the equator, but pretty much any basis for measurement is pretty trivial in the scheme of things, all things being relative.

> Feet are based on feet, inches are based on hand width, Fahrenheit attempted to make his thermometer based on things that would be helpful (like human body temperature), teaspoons were based on teaspoons, the list goes on. As for the old Spiel about Metric being more accurate than Imperial: nonsense. We have certain rulers that tell us exACTly how long an inch is. There is nothing inaccurate about it at all. Furthermore, if this MEtric attitude continues to spread, we might soon be forced to see Metric wherever we go (I'm talking to America at this point). This continues despite popular wishes and opinions.
> Another popular prometric argument is that "everyone else uses it". Well, no. Most other countries use it OFFICIALLY, but look at, say, Canada or the UK. Most people in Canada still use the Imperial system in their day-to-day lives. There is a strong uprising against the Metric system in the UK.
> Sure, Metric may be all swell and wonderful in science, but the point is, most of us aren't scientists. We're butchers and bakers and candlestick makers. I don't want a dekagram of steak, I want three fourths of a pound

Ease of use is simply a matter of familiarity... give your height or weight in metric today, even in most countries that use the metric system, a most people wouldn't be able to understand as quickly as if you used Imperial measurements. Though I grew up with the metric system, weights, and relatively short lengths were, and are, still referred to in Imperial measurements in everyday conversation, as well as the media, but volume, long distances, and temperature are more often referred to in Metric, and now I think in a mix of Metric and Imperial standards. The point is, whatever you learn to use to communicate measurements in society is what will seem the easiest for you to use. Do the users of Imperial measurements find them easier because the measurements are somehow easier to understand. Probably not. The divisions of the units aren't very intuitive, nor are everyone's body parts similar enough to those of Henry I to make measurement simple in that manner. Those who grew up with it have simply thought with in Imperial for their whole lives, and changing something like that is very difficult.

>The ancient Hebrews used measurements based on body parts, and so do we. In fact, almost every culture on Earth came up with measurement systems based on body parts and things found in nature. Besides, why is ten supposedly better than twelve and sixteen? These last two are SO much more easily divisible.

And just because the Hebrews and other older cultures used measurements based on body parts, so should we? Very similar to the "Other countries are using it, and so should we" argument used by Metric proponents... except we don't have to communicate measurements with ancient cultures quite as often, or we'd still be using cubits. Doing something only because others are doing it is never a good idea, but changing so to improve the ease of communication, especially in business, is. The only reason The U.S. can afford to stay Imperial, business-wise, is that its economic clout lets *them* call the shots when it comes to business communication.
As for ease of divisibility, I think that this is where the Metric system is king. How many centimeters in a meter? One hundred. Milligrams in a kilogram? One million. All you've got to is move that little decimal point around... it seems much easier for children to pick up, in my experience.

> Don't tread on our rights. Oppose mandatory Metric.

Why are people so opposed to new, and potentially more useful, things? The Imperial system is simply one framework by which to measure, and the Metric system is another which is slightly easier to convert between units. Would you consider the rights of the people who wish to use the Metric system the U.S. as being trampled? They certainly don't seem to have a lot of opportunities. I just wonder why Metric seems to be attacked like it's the tool of the devil.

Burger"Don't take it personally, I just like metric"King