Jayne: Time for America to measure up with the rest of the world

Years ago, school kids throughout the country were taught the metric system in preparation for its widespread use in the United States. This made sense, considering that on Dec. 23, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the Metric Conversion Act, which had been passed by Congress.

The law declared the metric system as “the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce” — and then that preference was roundly ignored by the populace.

In signing the measure (measure — get it?), Ford remarked: “To say that this legislation is historic is an understatement. … The truth is that our continued use of the English system of measurement was making us an island in a metric sea.”

But, and here’s the catch, Ford also said, “Indeed, if the legislation is not founded on public acceptance, it will have less than no effect at all.” Which kind of sums up the past 40 years and Americans’ obstinate refusal to embrace a decimal system for measurements.

It would seem that adding 6 feet, 7 3/8 inches, to 3 feet, 6 11/16 inches, is a bit more complicated than figuring the sum of 2.02 meters and 1.08 meters, but maybe that’s just me. According to an extensive scientific survey consisting of three respondents, school kids no longer learn the metric system.

Our national identity

Undoubtedly, this is partly because using fractions for measurements is part of the United States’ cultural identity, and Americans are provincial when it comes to the culture — both to our benefit and our detriment. As John Bemelmans Marciano wrote for Time magazine in 2014: “Is global uniformity a good thing? Not when it comes to cultural issues, and customary measures are certainly a part of our national culture.”

In other words, we kind of enjoy being iconoclasts, and we have kind of enjoyed it for 240 years.

Yet, when it comes to the metric system, the question shouldn’t be one of national identity; it should be a matter of simplicity. And our current system for weights and measures seems to have been devised by people who used an abacus to calculate the price of a gallon of goat’s milk at the bazaar.

Long ago, when the metric system appeared to be the future in the United States, it was adopted by many manufacturers. The better to compete in a global market and all that. So if it’s good enough for General Motors, by gum, it should be good enough for us.

The one exception, obviously, is football. Russell Wilson passing to Doug Baldwin for a 13-meter gain? That’s just crazy talk.

But for the rest of American life, it is time that we went metric. Imagine driving the speed limit at 90 kph. It’s only slightly faster than 55 mph, but it sounds like much more. In fact, it sounds almost as fast as Usain Bolt in the 328-foot, 1-inch dash.