Bill is right--Homer is definitely "a caricature of what is wrong with the attitudes of many uneducated Americans." The show generally makes fun of him subtly (or not so subtly).
Everyone who is a fan of either the metric system or the Simpson's should know about Abe Simpson's famous statement. When Marge mentioned in a town meeting that the citizens don't always take her suggestions, like adopting the metric system, Abe (her aged and senile father-in-law) says, "I think the metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets forty rods to the hogshead, and that's the way I likes it!" The mayor says something like "Let the old man's comment be stricken from the record." That is the same episode where Abe and other villagers burn Principal Skinner at the stake for saying that the Earth goes around the sun. The obvious implication of all this is that anti-metric people tend to be very uneducated and old-fashioned (and humorously so). Carl -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:owner-usma@;colostate.edu]On Behalf Of Bill Potts Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 3:20 PM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:22773] RE: A new system Pat: Don't forget that, like Archie Bunker (of All in the Family), Homer Simpson is a caricature of what is wrong with the attitudes of many uneducated Americans. I don't think it's valid to assume that the creators of The Simpsons agree with Homer's positions. In fact, the logical assumption is that the opposite is true. Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:owner-usma@;colostate.edu]On >Behalf Of Pat Naughtin >Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 13:54 >To: U.S. Metric Association >Subject: [USMA:22772] RE: A new system > > >Dear Han, > >Last night I happened to see a short segment of the cartoon series from the >USA called 'The Simpsons'. At one point the father, Homer Simpson, >was shown >at a drinking party at the 'Stonecutters Lodge' while they sang of their >achievements. One line of the proudly boastful song claimed that one of >their achievements was stopping the metric system in the USA. > >Clearly the idea of the metric system has crossed the consciousness of the >cartoonists as they calculate all the ratios necessary to reduce their >artistic work to 35�mm film. > >Cheers, > >Pat Naughtin CAMS >Geelong, Australia > >on 2002-10-19 03.33, Han Maenen at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> I have here Nelson DeMille's By the Rivers of Babylon. It is about Arab >> terrorists hijacking two Israeli Concordes (with each having a >> radio-controlled bomb in the tail) on the way to New York for a peace >> conference. One of the planes is blown out of the sky when the >pilot tries >> to escape and Ahmed Rish, the commander of the terrorists in a Lear jet, >> presses a button. It is a metric book. Ifp has been defeated and I would >> suppose that the USMA (and of course, the BWMA) has been >disbanded. What we >> are hoping for, metric in aviation is a fact. There is an American on the >> surviving plane who really hates SI, John McClure: 'McClure could see >> several flashlights moving along the river bank below. Three >football fields >> away. That was the only way he would ever estimate distance. >Three hundred >> yards. About 270 of these ridiculous metres. "They've already >surrounded us" >> he said'. >> >> Han >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Sent: Friday, 2002-10-18 5:37 >> Subject: [USMA:22753] RE: A new system >> >> >>> 2002-10-17 >>> >>> These are vague visualisations used by vast majority of >Americans who are >>> functionally innumerate. FFU was developed for and by such people, and >> that >>> is why the mathematically impaired cling to it. It was never >meant to be >>> exact. That is why for centuries before the advent of the >metric system, >>> there were thousands of variations on every unit within FFU. >>> >>> Apparently today, most people can not visualise distances in >FFU, so they >>> resort to visualisations. >>> >>> Even though a football field may be a little over 90 m, the >visualisation >> is >>> meant to be a rough estimate, and just one can also visualise >it as 100 m, >>> making it easier to do conversions back to SI. >>> >>> Isn't it sad that instead of teaching and learning SI as a proper system >> for >>> descriptive measurement, we would rather revert to these primitive types >> of >>> visualisations. It really shows that America is regressing, >when methods >> of >>> ignorance are promoted over methods of intelligence. >>> >>> John >>> >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Bill Potts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> Sent: Thursday, 2002-10-17 23:22 >>> Subject: [USMA:22752] RE: A new system >>> >>> >>>> Mike: >>>> >>>> I don't know of an exact definition. >>>> >>>> City blocks certainly vary. In general, they're just a guide to getting >>>> around (go so many blocks in this direction, turn right, then so many >>> blocks >>>> in that direction, ...) . In New York, it's the distance between >> adjacent >>>> numbered streets (short blocks) or avenues (long blocks, as the avenues >>> are >>>> much further apart). Chicago city blocks tend to be more uniform. In >>>> California, the term isn't used very much. >>>> >>>> I think a football field is a little over 90 m or so. >>>> >>>> A story (no e in American English) varies, depending on whether it's a >>>> standard residence, a commercial building, or whatever. For houses, the >>>> minimum is a little over 2.5 m. For fancier houses, it's somewhat more. >>>> >>>> Bill Potts, CMS >>>> Roseville, CA >>>> http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] >>>> >>>>> -----Original Message----- >>>>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:owner-usma@;colostate.edu]On >>>>> Behalf Of Mike Joy >>>>> Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 17:22 >>>>> To: U.S. Metric Association >>>>> Subject: [USMA:22751] A new system >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Hello all, >>>>> >>>>> I see the US media is converting from the ifp 'system' to some kind of >>> new >>>>> 'easyspeak' system. >>>>> >>>>> Can any one tell me please how many metres there are in:- >>>>> >>>>> 1) 1 city block >>>>> 2) 1 football field >>>>> 3) 1 storey. >>>>> >>>>> Is there an exact definition? >>>>> >>>>> Regards >>>>> >>>>> Mike >>>>> Perth Australia >>>>> >>>> >>> >>> >> >
