Why Don't Americans Use the Metric System?

If you grew up in the United States, you probably learned the United States Customary System (USCS) for weights and measures. USCS terms like inches, feet, pounds, and miles are derived from the British Imperial System, steeped in a long history of application and use. Any introduction to the metric system may have muddied the measurement waters, adding unfamiliar words and awkward conversions to your school day.

To see the full list of reasons, go here:

#metricsystem #ushistory #weirdhistory

[whiteowl]

Jimmy Carter tried to switch us to the metric system in the 1970s. It didn't take. But in the scientific community it has always been dominant.

[freetolook]

All I know is it's a lot easier to sort out which size wrench or socket to use with metric as standard.
If 10mm is too small, then the next size up is 11mm not 25/64ths or 7/16ths or whatever size you fiddle around trying to figure out.
If you're a machinist then you use the decimal system automatically.

[markedis]

I’m British but grew up long enough ago that both were taught in school and I still use both.

[genefoster]

I’m an 80 year old guy, who loves to cook. I have converted all my recipes to the metric system. So much easier.

[julieneff]

I learned to start converting in my head between miles and kilometers from running and walking events. Then from degrees Fahrenheit to Celsius when I started paying attention to weather and climate around the world. Then from pounds and ounces to grams, milligrams, and kilograms for baking, weighing people, and medications. I consider it like being bilingual, but arguably simpler.

[bobprice]

Fun fact, the US customary system is actually an older version of the British Imperial system. The British Empire modified its Imperial system, but the US stuck with the older version instead of following suit.

[abalrog]

As a chemist, I will never use the imperial system for anything.

[fredaf]

In the US we do use a mixture of both. Some examples: We buy our gas by the gallon, but our soda by the liter. We drive for miles at miles per hour, but we take our medicine in doses of milligrams. I can see non Americans can find all of this very confusing.

[thMandalorian]

In the UK we use both imperial and metric systems in daily life, from weighing food in grams (metric) and when it comes to recording the height or distance of something we use miles, feet and inches (imperial).

Weird.

[saharastar]

My daughter is a chef and a recipe developer. She uses metric system. She learned standardized system in school, but I taught her metric system when she was little.
Metric system is very logical and very easy. It probably will help kids.

[TheMissingxtension]

As a construction worker, painter, remodeling, and plumbing. I can tell you that we don't use the metric system, and it's a shame. 8ft is equal to what 96". Then there are 8'5"+3'11 = whatever

[bakerkawesa]

Metric is decimalised. It's more straightforward than doing fractions.

[littleNorwegians]

"The metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets forty rods to the hogshead, and that’s the way I like it!"
- Abe Simpson

[americangirl]

We learned about this in 1976, 3rd grade class. I can remember the teacher saying, we're learning a new way of measurement that we'll be switching too. 😅 Never used it again.

[wesleyoke]

Canadian multi trademan here. I refuse to allow people to give me any blueprint for fabrication in imperial. When apprentices try to give me measurments in imperial, i am very firm in telling them to abondon such uselessness. And time is money. I want fast calculations and metric is the tool for that

[kaysnyder]

When I was in third and fourth grade that was 1973-4, we started learning the prefixes etc deci, centi, milli etc because we were told we would be moving to metric measurements but it just never happened and all talk of it stopped.

[negativeindustrial]

I’m an American engineer and I can assure you that we do use the metric system.

[scottnotpilgrim]

Congress twiddling their thumbs? Some things never change

[mrskaa]

"Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with 🤣

[JorgePetraglia]

I been metric ever since I put foot in school in 1953, Back in Uruguay-South America (three generations ago, mind you).
Now imagine my confusion when later in life I started to learn a trade that involved pipes and diameters.
I became, as it is know in the trade, a gas fitter or an industrial plumber if you will, where very heavy pipes and equipment have to be put together to provide heating, gas lines, water, etc.

The length of everything wasn't a problem (everything was metric) but pipe diameters were measured in inches forcing us to memorize a few sizes by heart.
My life was more complicated when I arrived in Canada where the two systems were still been used since the old folks refused to die gracefully and sod off with an antiquated system.

Even today a lot of young people refer to their height in feet and inches and what it really confuse me to no end, is that when they talk about an object that is clearly six feet, and they called it a "six footer".
I have learned, overtime, the confusing standard system, but yet I can not understand why the english language has to be cannibalized in those ways, like it is not complicated enough for somebody whose first language has clear rules and definitions as in any romance one.

The so called Americans have even went the "extra mile" to re-name that crazy system "The freedom system", to convince themselves that they are so unique and special that they own something so fragile and subjective as the concept of freedom.

French or not, the metric system has been adopted all over the world. Besides : the Frenchies created the baguette and the croissant, two inventions that rock the world, something to be put in consideration, mind you.
Greetings from Toronto.