Tucker Carlson: metric system is weird, utopian, inelegant, creepy

[Ana the Ist]

Even Colbert couldn't make stuff like this up.
Watch: Fox News host attacks "inelegant, creepy" metric system that America alone has resisted

"Almost every nation on Earth has fallen under the yoke of tyranny—the metric system," Carlson said. "From Beijing to Buenos Aires, from Lusaka to London, the people of the world have been forced to measure their environment in millimeters and kilograms. "The United States is the only major country that has resisted, but we have no reason to be ashamed for using feet and pounds."

(guest James) Panero called the metric system "the original system of global revolution and new world orders."

Carlson replied: "God bless you, and that's exactly what it is. Esperanto died, but the metric system continues, this weird, utopian, inelegant, creepy system that we alone have resisted."​

It's one thing to have crazed, unhinged conspiracy theories about the metric system, but one should educate oneself before saying things that are factually incorrect.

"The metric system, meanwhile, is the product of the French Revolution. It was imposed at the business end of the guillotine," Panero said. "It's assumed to be progressive. It's assumed that everyone has gotten to be behind it."

Carlson characterized the metric system is "completely made up out of nothing."

"It's totally made up," Panero said. "Even worse than overturning custom has been the meter's imposition of ten. It's a ten size fits all mentality. Now here's how it gets crazy. The French Revolution went all in for 10. They tried to impose a 10 day week, 100 hours, 100 minutes, 100 seconds—they had a whole revolutionary calendar."​

International System of Units - Wikipedia
>> The group, which included preeminent French men of science,[32]:89 used the same principles for relating length, volume, and mass that had been proposed by the English clergyman John Wilkins in 1668[33][34] and the concept of using the Earth's meridian as the basis of the definition of length, originally proposed in 1670 by the French abbot Mouton.[35][36] <<

So while SI did come out of the French Revolution, it was based on measurements proposed by clergymen and the base units were based on various known quantities like the circumference of the earth and the mass of a liter of water.

There's a weird stigma against the metric system that I've never understood. Personally, I prefer measuring certain things in centimeters because it sounds more impressive.

I will say this about our current system....teaspoons, tablespoons, and cups always seem IMO to be the superior method of measurement for cooking and baking.

Edit- Esperanto died? I wonder if it's too late to get a refund from rosetta stone.

 

[Ana the Ist]

The US joins Liberia and Myanmar as the only three countries in the world which haven't adopted the metric system.

Funny....you don't normally think of those two nations as having their stuff together.

 

[Occams Barber]

I'm sorry, but I really didn't need the line drawings and the finger puppets. I'm fully aware that other Commonwealth countries use British English spellings as I am fully aware of what a meter (BE) is. I was kidding when I limited my comment to Canada by creating a national dichotomy (us down here, them up there).

I’m sorry if I’ve annoyed you.

I added a smiley to my Post #19 to make it clear I was being less than serious.

Based on the tone, content, and the absence of a smiley, I assumed your reply was serious (Post #22).

As a result, I explained (Post #24).

No insult was intended.

OB

 

[Sparagmos]

Even Colbert couldn't make stuff like this up.
Watch: Fox News host attacks "inelegant, creepy" metric system that America alone has resisted

"Almost every nation on Earth has fallen under the yoke of tyranny—the metric system," Carlson said. "From Beijing to Buenos Aires, from Lusaka to London, the people of the world have been forced to measure their environment in millimeters and kilograms. "The United States is the only major country that has resisted, but we have no reason to be ashamed for using feet and pounds."

(guest James) Panero called the metric system "the original system of global revolution and new world orders."

Carlson replied: "God bless you, and that's exactly what it is. Esperanto died, but the metric system continues, this weird, utopian, inelegant, creepy system that we alone have resisted."​

It's one thing to have crazed, unhinged conspiracy theories about the metric system, but one should educate oneself before saying things that are factually incorrect.

"The metric system, meanwhile, is the product of the French Revolution. It was imposed at the business end of the guillotine," Panero said. "It's assumed to be progressive. It's assumed that everyone has gotten to be behind it."

Carlson characterized the metric system is "completely made up out of nothing."

"It's totally made up," Panero said. "Even worse than overturning custom has been the meter's imposition of ten. It's a ten size fits all mentality. Now here's how it gets crazy. The French Revolution went all in for 10. They tried to impose a 10 day week, 100 hours, 100 minutes, 100 seconds—they had a whole revolutionary calendar."​

International System of Units - Wikipedia
>> The group, which included preeminent French men of science,[32]:89 used the same principles for relating length, volume, and mass that had been proposed by the English clergyman John Wilkins in 1668[33][34] and the concept of using the Earth's meridian as the basis of the definition of length, originally proposed in 1670 by the French abbot Mouton.[35][36] <<

So while SI did come out of the French Revolution, it was based on measurements proposed by clergymen and the base units were based on various known quantities like the circumference of the earth and the mass of a liter of water.

This is so embarrassing.

 

[Occams Barber]

This is so embarrassing.

Don't be embarrassed.

At least he's not your President.
OB

 

[USincognito]

I’m sorry if I’ve annoyed you.

I added a smiley to my Post #19 to make it clear I was being less than serious.

Based on the tone, content, and the absence of a smiley, I assumed your reply was serious (Post #22).

No biggie, I just found it to be a tad patronizing, but since my intent wasn't clear I can understand how that might have elicited a lesson.

As a result, I explained (Post #24).

No insult was intended.

OB

 

[Occams Barber]

I just found it to be a tad patronizing

That just describes me being absolutely correct. My ex-wives also used to confuse this with being 'patronising'. I've never understood why.
OB

 

[essentialsaltes]

Carlson characterized the metric system is "completely made up out of nothing."​

​

'Whereas our glorious American system is based on the logical and objective basis of the length of the king's foot.'

 

[essentialsaltes]

O Wikipedia hole, how you have ensnared me!

The international yard and pound agreement of July 1959 defined the length of the international yard in the United States and countries of the Commonwealth of Nations as exactly 0.9144 meters. Consequently, the international foot is defined to be equal to exactly 0.3048 meters. This was 2 ppm shorter than the previous U.S. definition and 1.7 ppm longer than the previous British definition.
...
The United States survey foot is defined as exactly 1200⁄3937 meters, approximately 0.304800609601 m.[22] Out of the 50 states, 24 have legislated that surveying measures should be based on the U.S. survey foot, eight have legislated that they be made on the basis of the international foot, and 18 have not specified the conversion factor from metric units.
...
Since then, 42 states have abandoned the non-metric versions of SPCS 83: seven states continue to keep location data in survey feet as well as in meters, while one state keeps data in international feet as well as in meters.

They're digging in the wrong place!

 

[Aryeh Jay]

The metric system is NOT in God's Holy BIBLE! If God wanted us to use the metric system HE would have made sure it was THERE!

 

[USincognito]

The metric system is NOT in God's Holy BIBLE! If God wanted us to use the metric system HE would have made sure it was THERE!

Exactly! That's why the Navy has 5 inch guns and the Army has 4.2 inch mortars.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Exactly! That's why the Navy has 5 inch guns and the Army has 4.2 inch mortars.

And everyone’s favorite Fifty Cal.

 

[USincognito]

And everyone’s favorite Fifty Cal.

And .223. We don't use any of that
weird, utopian, inelegant and creepy 5.56mm nonsense!

 

[Aryeh Jay]

And .223. We don't use any of that
weird, utopian, inelegant and creepy 5.56mm nonsense!

Some would say that is one of the reasons we lost in Vietnam, by embracing Satan’s Metric System.

 

[jardiniere]

I'm perfectly happy with my 9mm Browning. Purely American based, even if it was forged in Belgium. We can use the metric system to our advantage!

 

[USincognito]

I'm perfectly happy with my 9mm Browning. Purely American based, even if it was forged in Belgium. We can use the metric system to our advantage!

When you buy your sodas in 330ml cans instead of good old American 355ml cans, we'll see how you feel about that.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Exactly! That's why the Navy has 5 inch guns and the Army has 4.2 inch mortars.

I believe you meant .278 cubit guns.

 

[USincognito]

I believe you meant .278 cubit guns.

We use American* guns, not them Israeli Miltary Industry guns with their Noah measurements.

* Many of our small arms and our main 105mm howitzer are made by foreign countries.

 

[SarahsKnight]

The metric system is NOT in God's Holy BIBLE! If God wanted us to use the metric system HE would have made sure it was THERE!

Whoo! Preach it, brother! =P

 

[keith99]

The metric system is NOT in God's Holy BIBLE! If God wanted us to use the metric system HE would have made sure it was THERE!

Neither is the system we use. No feet, pounds or ounces.

BTW how many people here know how many teaspoons there are in a cup? How many square feet in an acre? Or even the easy one how many feet in a mile?