Whatever FoxNews's Tucker Carson said against metric a recent segment,
whether seriously or jokingly, at least it got the subject of metric in
the press again. But what I have noticed is that FoxNews, the largest
cable news network by far, is increasing its use of metric units in
significant stories.
The most recent use was in describing Iran's exceeding the limit for
fissionable material. The quantity of "300 kilograms" was used twice in
the story. In the original agreement, undoubtedly the quantity was
specified in metric units, but in the past that quantity would have been
"translated" into legacy units for us "illiterate" Americans.
But, more and more, such units are not being translated. The nuclear
story was breaking news this morning, so perhaps the producers couldn't
find their conversion tables fast enough. Or perhaps they were just too
lazy to do so. Or perhaps they don't really care much any longer and now
allow metric in the original reporting to go through.
In any case, for whichever or all of these reasons, I expect that we will
be seeing more and more us of metric units in news stories. Americans who
aren't already familiar with the metric system will hear units like
meters, kilometers, kilograms, and even degrees Celsius used in
English-language versions of foreign news programs carried on American
cable, like "France 24" and "Deutsche Welle." Then the remaining
recalcitrant Americans will not view metric as foreign, but familiar.
We are winning the war faster than we think!
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