Comment on Everyday, as an American
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 3 months agoThe problem is everything is already built using the imperial measurements. Even if we switched all the new tools and materials over to metric we’d be stuck having to do a bunch of conversions when we’re integrating it into existing construction and we’d probably be dealing with that for the rest of our lives.
Liz@midwest.social 3 months ago
You’re already dealing with it there’s loads of stuff that’s built in metric, especially everything that’s imported. The question is if you want to continue using a system that invites mistakes in order to avoid the pain of switching. The pain will subside pretty quickly, and only come up every time you have to retrofit old construction and whatnot. As the years go on more and more things will be switched until it’s rare to see imperial. I lived in a house built in the 1800s, but we still had modern windows and insulation because those things are obviously better and we improved the building when it was convenient and necessary to do so.
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 3 months ago
What about imperial invites mistakes and what makes you think that there will be fewer mistakes after we switch to metric and now have to use both systems and do messy conversions anytime we are working with pre-existing structures? Retrofitting old construction is basically a constant state of being for me and many others. What do we gain by switching to metric?
Liz@midwest.social 3 months ago
I once read a proper academic article explaining how Australia saved about 10% on average across their entire economy, largely from fewer mistakes having to be fixed and not having to maintain two sets of tools. However, I can’t find it now. This random website will have to do. But essentially, pretty much everyone who switches assumes there’s going to be this big cost and hassle and then it turns out they end to saving money and they just kind of quietly forget they ever thought it was going to be a big hassel.
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 3 months ago
I already don’t have to maintain two sets of tools. I would only have to do that if we switched because I would now have to have tools with metric measurements (which would cost me $1000s) for new construction and my old tools for working on existing stuff.
As for that article I don’t find many of their arguments to be very convincing especially the numbers they’re using to determine costs. The article they used to get the $6, 100,000 figure for the cost of not switching is from 1915 and even allowing for that is largely nonsense. They mention having to educate on the imperial system. The only education I got about the imperial system was during wood shop as an elective and maybe some in math but that was more to demonstrate fractions and using rulers and such, the focus wasn’t on the units themselves. We spent far more time learning metric during science class. The main article also mentions that converting to metric will save money but don’t explain how this is the case. Then go on to accuse companies that have not changed out their tooling to metric in order to avoid the cost, so it’s very inconsistent. The language they use is also very biased.