Dear All,
A little while ago Don Hillger, the USMA webmaster, kindly shared with me
the PowerPoint notes that he used for his presentation to the Colorado
Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Annual Conference.
During Don's presentation he reflected on some of the reasons why the USA is
not yet metric.
Don's thoughts paralleled my own so closely that since I read Don's notes, I
have been reflecting on the nature of the opponents to metrication. I think
it would help us to focus our thoughts � and our defences � if we could
clearly identify the main types of metric opponents.
My preliminary thoughts are that there are three main groups of metric
opponents � they are:
1 Conservatives
2 Control freaks
3 Traders
Let me elaborate on these groups.
1 Conservatives
These are the people who will always avoid change � any change. Their
motivation may have several sources. The motivations identified by Don
Hillger were:
a People don't like to change
b People fear change from the familiar to the unknown
c People who don't realise the simplicity of SI
I agree with Don on these groups but I would like to elaborate on his
original thoughts.
a Those who don't like to change may be simply people who never like to
change, the true conservatives, but it might also include those who tried to
change too early for the rest of the community and got burned by a failed
attempt � perhaps the NCTM fits into this category.
b Those who fear change best epitomise the approach that I am trying to
take by identifying anti-metric groups. People who fear change will not be
helped by full frontal attacks on their position. This approach, in creating
greater fear, is completely contraindicated.
c The ignorant group also are not best approached by attack. Their problem
is simply ignorance. Possibly the best known example of this group is the
Microsoft company who regularly display a profound ignorance of SI or any
other metric measures. The best approach to ignorant groups is one of that
incredibly slow process called education.
2 Control freaks
>From time to time on this list we hear of a young employee � often an
engineer � who wants to use SI in their work but are ordered to use old
measures by a senior (old) employee who is using decision making powers for
the sake of using decision making powers. The issues of benefits to the
company, benefits to the industry, and benefits to the nation are not even
considered. From time to time we see examples of this on this list,
especially in individual University Departments. Perhaps our best strategy
here is to wait for the ultimate assistance of the 'grim reaper'. A branch
of the family of 'control freaks' are the jargoneers; these are the folk who
use the language obfuscation of jargon to protect (control) their precious
position as senior citizens of (for example) a small obscure branch of
science.
3 Traders
These are the folk to attack, and to attack with vigor. Traders deliberately
(and regularly) use old measures to dupe their customers. And twas ever thus
� the pharaohs used a royal cubit for buying and a regular cubit for
selling, with the difference of about 20% finding its way into the royal
coffers. Traders have always used units of measurement ( and units of
currency) to dupe the illiterate innumerate and the unwary. Traders are
regularly rogues when they use units. Traders are the people who have to be
restricted by measuring laws, both nationally and internationally. Traders
also know that governments are trying to limit their theft from their
customers so they resist changes in measurement individually and as groups.
Individuals might be fruit and veg. traders or fishmongers, while groups
might use an acronym such as TABD to disguise their ultimate goal of denying
the population of rational, just, and fair measurements. Other examples that
come to mind are TV and computer screen sellers with their short inches,
diamond dealers with their obscure carats, and oil traders with their
barrels.
I would appreciate your thoughts.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
CAMS - Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
- United States Metric Association
ASM - Accredited Speaking Member
- National Speakers Association of Australia
Member, International Federation for Professional Speakers
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