I don't think anti-metric (or most common) people do a lot of calculations or even conversions within FFU. Thus, the simplicity of SI argument is lost on them. To many however, SI means they have to (not really "have to", but "insist on" doing) convert from SI back to FFU. They make zero effort to learn SI and get a feel for the size of SI units. Others are no more knowledgeable of FFU then they pretend to be, but have become accustom to the names and hearing the names makes them think they understand FFU.
The only way to change the situation is not to "educate" people on the wonders of SI but to just make the change and educate them in how to use SI in the market. Eventually if the old units are seldom heard or seen in the market and the people are exposed mostly to SI units, they become accustom to their sound and begin to prefer them only because they are now used to them. Also people will tire of back converting and just get use to the SI sizing. The BWMA's main gripe against scale conversion is that people will soften to SI in the shops as they get use to seeing metric scales. Even though the people may continue to ask by the old names (the BWMA argues that the majority still asking for products in old unit names is a sign of preference) they will eventually become less resistant to metric only pricing and products without FFU on the labels. BWMA members cringe at the thought of people eventually accepting 500 g as an equivalent for a pound or even 600 mL as the equivalent of a pint. As long as the roads are signed in miles and miles per hour, they can claim the people prefer FFU over SI. Members of the BWMA keep insisting that in the UK the people of today prefer FFU over SI then in the 1970s when there was a greater approval for SI then now, according to "their" polls. Some have claimed that FFU is now taught again is UK schools. Since I can't verify it, I have to accept it for now as a possibility. Does anybody who posts here know for sure if FFU is still taught in UK schools and if it is, how extensive it is taught? One thing is certain that if FFU is not taught in the schools and people still learn the terms and prefer them, it really shows that it is the terms they have come to understand and not the mechanisms of the unit relationships, thus proving what I said in the first paragraph. Euric ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, 2004-05-30 23:41 Subject: [USMA:30013] Re: making an extra effort to preserve FFU > Anti-metric people seem to not recognize the fact that SI does NOT require tedious calculations and that the only thing needed to convert (for example) meters to kilometers is to have the decimal point pack its bags and fly three (decimal) places east (to the left) -- WITHOUT having to change any individual numbers. > > SI. SIMPLE, EASY, NOT COMPLICATED! > > METRIC ROCKS! > > -- > -----Thanks!----- > > Cole Kingsbury > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ---------------- > > > > >
