Then there is the famous "Stonecutters" episode, where Homer joins this somewhat secretive organization that apparently runs the country behind the scenes, as the lyrics hint. (Hmm, sounds like things today.)
Carleton We do! (The Stonecutters Song) All: Who controls the British crown? Who keeps the metric system down? We do! We do! Karl: Who leaves Atlantis off the maps? Lenny: Who keeps the Martians under wraps? Alien: We do! We do! All: Who holds back the electric car? Who makes Steve Gutenberg a star? We do! We do! Skinner: Who robs cavefish of their sight? Homer: Who rigs every Oscar night? All: We do! We do! -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of David King Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 18:32 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:31344] Re: Metric in the U.K. I remember seeing an episode of the Simpsons (the cartoon series) when they went to the UK for a visit, and Homer got locked in the Tower of London. He wanted to get out, and prayed to God for release, and promised he would use the metric system if God released him, implying that he was promising to be like the British (taking into account the other things he said to, which I forget now) because the British are fully metric. Well, he was almost right. David King ** Get Fast Broadband from �14.99 ** http://tinyurl.com/5y7mf Ezra Steinberg wrote: >I think it's probably true that most Americans don't understand how metric >the UK now is (despite the persisting muddle), let alone how much more >metric Australia is (or even the extent to which Canada is metric despite >the large presence of Imperial there, too). > >My hunch is that most of the perception that American's have of the UK is >through television, particularly through British shows broadcast here in the >States. Unfortunately, it seems that British producers (including the BBC) >go out of their way to use Imperial on the shows broadcast in the USA, >whereas the same show broadcast in the UK might actually have used much more >metric if show to the home audience. In this way the extent to which the UK >has metricated continues to be masked by the British accomodation (or >American muscle -- or both) that slaps a veneer of Imperial on the UK >television products distributed over here. > >Bloody shame, if you ask me ... :-( > >Ezra > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "J. Ward" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 2:22 PM >Subject: [USMA:31342] Re: Metric in the U.K. > > > > >>Hi David, >> >>Your comments point out the humor in the following argument some friends >>made in a recent conversation: "England doesn't use the metric system, >>so why should we?" I don't think they believed me when I explained that >>on the contrary, measurement in the U.K. is predominantly metric! >> >>J. >> >> > > > >
