Why are Irish people so resistant to the metric system?

Iwannahurl · 30-12-2010 12:07AM

Carl Sagan wrote: »

Well, I don't. And when I do, I just convert them?

I can use either system, but when any sort of measurement comes up in conversation, I'm always asked; what's that in feet? What's that in kg?

I think that as a famous scientist you should stay (miles) away from people like that...

The Davestator · 30-12-2010 12:09AM

Sport is the same. Amateur boxers use kilogrammes and jockeys use pounds. Marathon uses miles but triathlons use km's etc.

up for anything · 30-12-2010 12:09AM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

I believe the answer to that is: "it's six inches long but I don't use it as a rule."

That was old when I was young which makes it prehistoric.

The other one was, "you wouldn't want it as a wart on your forehead!"

CrazyRabbit · 30-12-2010 12:12AM

Because going down to the pub and ordering 568ml of Guinness would just sound ridiculous.

Also, it's easier to visualise in some cases....like 6 feet rather than 1.8 metres.

I personally use a mix of metric and imperial.

Pete M. · 30-12-2010 12:13AM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Contradictory.

How can school-children be "traditionally inclined"? You ask them their height or to estimate a distance, and my bet is that most Irish kids will use Imperial units. That's not tradition, and if it's the vernacular then I wonder what that says about the effectiveness of our primary and secondary education?

How does the highlighted 'generalisation' contradict the highlighted 'vernacular'?

I simply mean that it is a generalisation to suggest that the 'Irish people' eschew the metric system. We don't.

However, the use of feet and inches and miles and furlongs etc. is widely used amongst older people (like me auld buck) and so that is when I revert.

Most kids these days are used to km/h speed signs and whether you're going 100 km/h or not rather than 60 m/h.

Any engineer or scientist uses the metric system so when we're actually using a system, it's the metric one, whereas if tis just shooting the breeze tis all feet and miles and yards (1 yard is 0.9144 metres btw).

At the end of the day a mile is 1.609 kilometres :pac:

Mrmoe · 30-12-2010 12:18AM

The most popular imperial measurement is the foot. It is popular because there really isn't an equivalent metric measurement, cm is too small and metre is too large for many common measurements. It is easier to give a rough measurement in feet than in cm or metres to a lesser extent.

Pete M. · 30-12-2010 12:19AM

up for anything wrote: »

If I asked any of you men how long is your penis, would you answer six inches or 150mm give or take a few millimetres?

154.4 mm.

or a good six inches

Iwannahurl · 30-12-2010 12:22AM

Pete M. wrote: »

How does the highlighted 'generalisation' contradict the highlighted 'vernacular'?

I simply mean that it is a generalisation to suggest that the 'Irish people' eschew the metric system. We don't.

However, the use of feet and inches and miles and furlongs etc. is widely used amongst older people (like me auld buck) and so that is when I revert.

Most kids these days are used to km/h speed signs and whether you're going 100 km/h or not rather than 60 m/h.

Any engineer or scientist uses the metric system so when we're actually using a system, it's the metric one, whereas if tis just shooting the breeze tis all feet and miles and yards (1 yard is 0.9144 metres btw).

At the end of the day a mile is 1.609 kilometres :pac:

I forgot to mention feckin furlongs.

Vernacular implies general or normal use.

Irish people continue to use the outdated and awkward Imperial system, and it is the foreigners resident here who have to adapt to our recalcitrant ways.

It's more than shooting the breeze. It's just plain daft using metric officially, eg speed limit signs, and then behaving as if they didn't exist.

I understand older people hanging on to the units they learned in school and used all their lives, but the kids?

Mr Benevolent · 30-12-2010 12:22AM

Aviation still uses a mix of metric and imperial measurements with few problems. Couldn't imagine myself moving away from using nautical miles tbh (and no, I'm not a real pilot, just a sim pilot)

Iwannahurl · 30-12-2010 12:25AM

Mrmoe wrote: »

The most popular imperial measurement is the foot. It is popular because there really isn't an equivalent metric measurement, cm is too small and metre is too large for many common measurements. It is easier to give a rough measurement in feet than in cm or metres to a lesser extent.

So all those people in established metric countries just hum and haw and wave their arms when asked for a rough measurement? I don't think so.

Pete M. · 30-12-2010 12:26AM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

I understand older people hanging on to the units they learned in school and used all their lives, but the kids?

But I'm neither one nor the other :eek:

But I promise to promote the metric system with anyone younger than me.

My own kids would be all kilo-this and giga-that so I think we're future proofed anyway.

It's just like two different languages, once you can understand a couple and use them, you're away with it.

It's all relative dude

Iwannahurl · 30-12-2010 12:29AM

Confab wrote: »

Aviation still uses a mix of metric and imperial measurements with few problems. Couldn't imagine myself moving away from using nautical miles tbh (and no, I'm not a real pilot, just a sim pilot)

Don't start me on the nautical miles and Met Eireann's mixum gatherum approach to weather reports!

I understand aviation is dominated by (some) Imperial units, esp feet for altitude. I would speculate that this is due to American dominance in the sector, not any technical reason.

Although I vaguely recall that there may have been some serious incidents in the past due to confusion over units, which might explain the international use of feet in aviation.

JONJO THE MISER · 30-12-2010 12:30AM

Hey none of your fangled euro trash around here, it was acres when my father was ere as it was when my grandfather and great granfather, it is miles not kiliometres, they will never change us no matter what laws they make in fecking europe, everybody who goes to a butchers still asks for pounds of meat so feck off with your metric system back off to the them french fogs.

sh1tstirrer · 30-12-2010 12:30AM

Us farmers embraced the metric system years ago

as far back as the year 2000.

SilverScreen · 30-12-2010 12:32AM

I work part-time in a hardware store and roughly every 1 in 10 customers give me imperial measurements. I was brought up with the metric system since primary school and i pretty much think in metric most of the time. Learning to convert between the two was an absolute nightmare at first but i eventually got the hang of it. I think the metric system is a far better system than the imperial, it's far easier to learn and understand and is way more accurate. I guess Irish people are just too used to traditions and far more resistant to change than their European counterparts

Iwannahurl · 30-12-2010 12:33AM

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Hey none of your fangled euro trash around here, it was acres when my father was ere as it was when my grandfather and great granfather, it is miles not kiliometres, they will never change us no matter what laws they make in fecking europe, everybody who goes to a butchers still asks for pounds of meat so feck off with your metric system back off to the them french fogs.

Jolly well said.

Rule Britannia!

rainbowtrout · 30-12-2010 12:33AM

Kids are sent off to school for 13 or so years with a 12 inch ruler in their schoolbag. Despite the fact that they learn everything in metric it's still easier to visualise a foot instead of a metre.

Old speed limits were 30/60 mph. 60 mins in an hour. Easy to calculate journey time. My car is in kilometres as are all the roadsigns, but I still convert to miles in my head to calculate journey times.

Pete M. · 30-12-2010 12:35AM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Jolly well said.

Rule Britannia!

Ha ha!

Now I got ya!

You make me want to be sick :pac::pac::pac:

BrokenArrows · 30-12-2010 12:39AM

i have to say that i mix and match the two systems.

Mrmoe · 30-12-2010 12:41AM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

So all those people in established metric countries just hum and haw and wave their arms when asked for a rough measurement? I don't think so.

No they don't. That was what I was refering to. Size 10/11 size for an adult would be close to 1 foot, it is a lot easier to visualise than the equivalent measuremnt in cm or metres. It is thsi particular measuremnt more so than any other as it is commonly used.

Hannibal · 30-12-2010 12:48AM

Most people I know mix and match, like if you say to someone i'm 6 feet tall its easy to get a mental picture rather than 1.83 metres the same with stones. I fit bathrooms for a living, and generally I always use the metric system for measurments etc as its much easier and I find more accurate. I remember a couple of years ago working with a carpenter, he was early 60's giving me measurments in inches and quarters and eights thats when I realised how out dated and hard use imperial is. But still even though I use metric in my work I would still give my height in feet and inches and my weight in stones. My car is reasonably new and only has kilometres in it so i'm over the mph part but my dad for example still tries to convert every speed limit into mph as I think people of 40+ cant grasp change as easy as younger people can.

stevejr · 30-12-2010 12:51AM

Essententially I agree with the OP, metric would make life simpler but, less interesting. We Irish are a peculiar breed in many ways...resistance to change being one of those peculiarities...eg;

-Would do many of us refer to all 4x4 and off-road type vehicles as Jeeps? "Jeep" the actual brand was not sold here until the 1990's yet this vernacular expression has been in common usage since the 70's.

-Similarly why do we call all vacuum cleaners "Hoovers"?

-Why do some of us refer to all crisps as "Taytos"?

-Crockery= "Delph" for a lot of older people....Delph was a relatively (in Ireland) obscure brand of imported dutch crockery in the late 19th century!

I could go on...there are lots more, but in the spirit of the OP's original post which was about an idiosyncrasy I'd thought I'd point out some more.

Great thread OP! Resurrecting intelligent debate in AH!

FISMA · 30-12-2010 12:52AM

The Irish have always opposed foreign rulers, why should a ruler with the metric system be any different!
:pac:
:pac::pac:
:pac::pac::pac:

Liam Byrne · 30-12-2010 12:53AM

antodeco wrote: »

There's no other country in the world that uses every measurement possible. Liters, pints, feet, miles, grams, pounds, etc. It's unique!

What's a "liter" ?

stevejr · 30-12-2010 12:58AM

Dotsey wrote: »

Most people I know mix and match, like if you say to someone i'm 6 feet tall its easy to get a mental picture rather than 1.83 metres the same with stones. I fit bathrooms for a living, and generally I always use the metric system for measurments etc as its much easier and I find more accurate. I remember a couple of years ago working with a carpenter, he was early 60's giving me measurments in inches and quarters and eights thats when I realised how out dated and hard use imperial is. But still even though I use metric in my work I would still give my height in feet and inches and my weight in stones. My car is reasonably new and only has kilometres in it so i'm over the mph part but my dad for example still tries to convert every speed limit into mph as I think people of 40+ cant grasp change as easy as younger people can.

That's interesting. Another post from the plumbing field of an example of someone who is ambidextrous in measurements.

Was wondering does that apply to all the building trades considering they are relatively old disciplines? And is there any change to metric on the horizon?

ejmaztec · 30-12-2010 12:59AM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

I believe the answer to that is: "it's six twelve inches long but I don't use it as a rule."

Fixed that for you, Stumpy

Killer Pigeon · 30-12-2010 01:01AM

"Do you like my 22.9 centimeter willóg?"

Nah, it doesn't have the same ring to it as inches.

Pete M. · 30-12-2010 01:03AM

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

"Do you like my 22.9 centimeter willóg?"

Nah, it doesn't have the same ring to it as inches.

The ring is just the same if it's in inches or mm.

Should be a tight squeeze unless you're lacking in either type of measurement.

cassid · 30-12-2010 01:06AM

I guess I always use both. When you have a baby the staff tell you both weights so assuming its a very Irish thing. Even shopping we have both, size 10 etc in Dunnes Stores then Benetton size 36, same goes with shoes.

citizen_p · 30-12-2010 01:13AM

great post op....seriously. some people just post the qustion "why is ....?"

i still use feet and inches for measuring myself,
weighing scales is in stone and pounds, so i still use that
my father says acres and hectares when given estimates on the size of a bit of land
i still ask for a pound of rashers in the butchers

the only thing that has changed for me is kilometers have slowly worked their way into my vocabulary instead of miles.

Why are Irish people so resistant to the metric system?

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