It seems like a weird point to bring up. How often do y’all convert your measurements? It’s not even a daily thing. If I’m measuring something, I either do it in inches, or feet, rarely yards. I’ve never once had to convert feet into miles, and I can’t imagine I’m unique in this. When I have needed to, it’s usually converting down (I.e. 1/3 of a foot), which imperial does handle better in more cases.
Like. I don’t care if we switch, I do mostly use metric personally, it just seems like a weird point to be the most common pro-metric argument when it’s also the one I’m least convinced by due to how metric is based off of base 10 numbering, which has so many problems with it.
Edit: After reading/responding a lot in the comments, it does seem like there’s a fundamental difference in how distance is viewed in metric/imperial countries. I can’t quite put my finger on how, but it seems the difference is bigger than 1 mile = 1.6km
I’ve never used any of those conversions you listed in imperial units, so your point is irrelevant… which is my point. Americans learn metric in school, and American scientists and engineers almost universally work in metric, where conversion between units is regular and useful.
But it I am going for a hike, I will estimate distance in miles, if I am making a soup, I will measure my broth in cups, and if I am trying to lose weight, I will measure my weight in pounds. These uses continue because there is no reason not to continue using them - they work for their intended purpose, in their intended context.
There is no dickishness involved on either side in your example, as both people are expressing the measure (presumably) in whatever units they know best. This is no different than two people who speak different languages working together to communicate. No one is being a dick, it is just two people who know two different things, working together towards a common goal of mutual understanding.
What is dickish is telling someone that they should communicate in a different way for your benefit. If, for example, someone started commenting in this thread in spanish or german, I wouldn’t get pissed off about it. I wouldn’t tell them to learn English, or tell them they are stupid for not knowing English, or tell them that their language is dumb and tout the obvious benefits of English due to its lack of confusing conjugations. I would just either translate their comment if I was interested in what they are saying, or shrug and move on without caring.
As I said. You can use whatever units you want for yourself. I don’t care about that.
The problem is when we are communicating with each other. When communicating, it’s more than one party involved. And our goal should be to communicate clearly and easily so both the talker and the listener have an easy time transferring information.
This is not like language. Conversion between one unit and another is as simple as a multiplication. We can both speak in imperial and metric if we have a conversion table and a calculator.
Now, let’s say you communicate in imperial. And I communicate in metric. We are allowed to have a conversion table and a calculator. Here is my cheatsheet:
Here is yours:
cm = 1/2.5 inch ml = 1/28 fl oz g = 1/28 oz metric ton = 1000kg k (kilo) = 1000 d (deci) = 1/10 c (centi) = 1/100 m (milli) = 1/1000I only included the most common usages. The full cheatsheets are much larger but I believe we can agree this is a fair representation of common usage.
Your cheatsheet contains 8 entries. Meanwhile mine contains 10. Therefore, metric is objectively easier to convert in a ratio of 8/10. Furthermore, subjectively, the case is worse. Since metric ton, kilo, deci, centi and milli have an obvious pattern that is easy to remember and use. Meanwhile the only subjective “advantage” of imperial is that fl oz and oz is the same, but that goes both ways, since g is also the same as ml, so it would be 7/9, which is better for metric than 8/10. So i don’t think there’s any subjective advantage for imperial.
So yes, using a less efficient method of communication because “I’m more used to it” is dickish. Especially if the entire rest of the world uses the more efficient one. Especially if you already know the more efficient method. As you said, it is taught in American schools.
Do you know what is even more dickish? Defending its usage for communication.
If we go back to the language analogy: If 95% percent of the world understands only English, and English is objectively easier than Spanish and you also speak English, and you approach someone in spanish, and you keep speaking Spanish even though they are speaking in English, you are a dick.
Of course this analogy is not perfect. Since English is not objectively easier than Spanish (in fact, I subjectively believe Spanish is easier).