According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5770. In the calendars that non-Jewish folks use, the year is identified as 2009 in the current era. Whether the year is 5770 or 2009 makes very little difference in writing this preposterous essay. It is preposterous because three countries use antiquated systems for weights and measurements. The rest of the world uses enlightened weights and measurements but not the United States, Burma, or Liberia. While the United States ought to be embarrassed to find itself in the company of failed states such as Liberia, whose president, Charlie Taylor, stole everything in sight, and the junta government in Burma, also known as Myanmar, we show no evidence of changing our ways..
There are three examples that are required to make my case for the preposterousness of this essay. When Americans, for example, go to the grocery store, they often buy articles that are priced by the pound. My belief is that a pound consists of 16 ounces but who in the world determined what an ounce is? The enlightened world uses grams and kilograms for measuring the weights of products that they buy. But not the United States, Burma, or Liberia. All that can be said here is that an ounce is a small weight but it is very difficult to describe or recognize when someone says, “I will give you an ounce of a drug” or “I will give you an ounce of fish.”
The second example here has to do with measuring temperature. Only in Burma, Liberia, and the United States do we use the Fahrenheit system. The rest of the civilized world uses the Celsius system. Under the Fahrenheit system, water freezes at 32°. That in and of itself is preposterous. Under the Celsius system, water freezes when the temperature reaches 0°. That makes sense. To the rest of the world, when the temperature falls below 0°, they have sense enough to stay inside. But not in the Fahrenheit system at all. We continue to engage in outdoor activities regardless of the sub-zero temperatures, as in the case of professional football, and now the World Series playoffs.
The final example has to do with measurements. Some time in antiquity, the world was introduced to inches, feet, and miles. According to my best recollections, a mile is 5,260 feet. It may be 5,280 feet. But that is of little consequence here. Reduced to basics, the underlying question remains about how long an inch is. Generally speaking, I know all about inches because I have my thumb and my forefinger which I hold up at about an inch apart. The rest of the world uses meters and kilometers. I would argue that it is time for Burma, Liberia, and the United States to join the rest of the civilized world using the metric system.
The President of the United States has more on his plate than he deserves, but if he were ever to move to bring the metric system or the Celsius system to this country, it is my educated guess that the right wing would go nuts. I can guarantee you that anyone who sponsors a move to bring us out of the 14th century in terms of weights and measurements would be called, at best, a socialist or a communist and probably a fascist as well. I would suggest that my friends on the right wing have never thought about the disadvantages this places the United States in when it engages in international relations. When one refers to mileages between cities in this country, for example, he can see his European counterparts calculating how far that is in kilometers. When someone describes how much he paid for a pound of butter in this country, he can see his European counterparts trying to figure out what that would weigh in grams or kilograms.
Because we use an antiquated system of weights and measurements, think back to the 15th century, we pay a certain price in dealing with our foreign competitors. But be that as it may, I will assure you, all of the readers of these essays, that a move to bring us even into the 19th century on weights and measurements will be fiercely opposed by the right wing of the Republican Party. In personal terms, I feel very confident in dealing with meters and grams. My comfort does not make me a socialist or a communist or a fascist. But that is exactly what I would be called if I were a part of the effort to bring sense and enlightenment to our current system of weights and measurements.
On the other hand, if someone wishes to call me all these names, that would be fine with me, provided that we get a system of weights and measurements that comports with the situation in the 21st century.
E. E. CARR
October 11, 2009
Essay 412
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Kevin’s commentary: I saw an incredible video about the imperial system of measurements that should be required viewing/listening for anyone who agrees with the sentiment expressed in this essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7x-RGfd0Yk
It’s only 3 minutes long and it makes me happy. It answers some of Pop’s questions, like where the inch came from!