http://www.answers.com/topic/pentagon-papers

I think the Texans would take issue with that in at least one of the above coming from somewhere else
And as I said, we actually do use both systems in education – but out in the everyday world it’s still very anti-metric. Even the way our streets are laid out in most major cities is square miles (for example in Phoenix each major cross road is a mile, with minor cross roads ever half mile…) Property deeds are all acres in the country and square feet in the cities – house size is always square feet. Rent is also square feet. On and on. To change that system is far more involved than originally thought, and they’ve been at it for over 30 years. So far they haven’t gotten very far – I’m pointing out a huge part of the reason why. If you are American those phrases I stated above are short hand for a whole understanding where invoking them means I need say no more.

Elizabeth,

I was a bit rushed in that response (supposed to have been watching a movie with my son) – but in regards your last question\point. Highly likely. One can never overemphasize the idea of “rugged individualism” present in our culture (Live Free or Die, The Show Me State, Don’t Tread on Me, Don’t Mess With Texas as examples – and those are real state slogans…). Remember, in our society it really is all about the individual – codified in our laws and embraced in our founding philosophies. The general American cares little about what the rest of the world thinks – that should have been clear over the past decade if you follow American politics at all.

If you want to talk about it more, or have other questions you can e-mail me at tleps at juno dot com – that’s my junk mail e-mail, but I’ll keep an eye on it for a couple days. If it’s something that honestly interests you feel free to ask\write there. If it’s an honest discussion you’ll get my real e-mail (I’d rather not be “found” easily – has to do with my previous job with the courts. There are members of society I’d really rather never be able to find me…). Don’t want to take over any threads, and I’d honestly rather be reading more than commenting.

As I said, just trying to help people understand how to be more productive when talking to the public. You can all take it or leave it – matters little to me either way (not my fight, just an interested bystander).

Eish, this is so off-topic, but in South Africa (and I assume the UK) we do use all those inch/mile/pound expressions – AND we measure by the metric system. It can be done

Since none of those expressions originated in the US, obviously it can be done.

Unless the argument is that the United States is even more english than the English …

I wasn’t making a reference to it being solely an American way to count – I was commenting on post # 13 and trying to point out that such comments are not going to make any brownie points amongst the Americans – which this Blog would seem to be mostly directed at. My point was in America it is not just something we use – it’s part of how we define ourselves (in a very short period of time you could sit down with almost any American family and literally end up with a list like that in the 100’s). The average “Joe” out there in the US world gets bent when he is made fun of because of the unit of measure he uses (I’ve run into it – it’s not pretty). We don’t use the system to count nearly as much as we do to reference cultural perceptions and history. My daughter is in the hard sciences. She uses the metric system all the time in her studies. In every day talking you’ll never hear her say anything using the metric system…

And I’m not trying to be off topic. Just trying to point out ways and considerations that are easy to take and consider when commentating on threads that the public is invited to read. That would go quite far in toning down some of the rhetoric and anger. We are a prickly people, knowing how to avoid pissing us off right from the start might be helpful.

I’m also trying to point out why some of the methods used seem to backfire here – you have to understand the audience you are trying to reach (and if you want their votes you’d better figure out how to reach them…).

Hope that helps