Calls for compulsory metrication

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Author: Patrick Crozier

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Over the last few days, some people have been calling for us to move to complete metrication in time for the London Olympics. They argued that the current mixture of Imperial and metric units would confuse foreigners.

My thoughts:

1. What these guys are actually calling for is compulsory metrication. By force. So, I am naturally against it.
2. I don't go a bundle on this "confusing foreigners" argument
3. And I can't see any other benefit from compulsory metrication
4. Actually, I don't think weights and measures are any business of the state.

Q&A

So, foreigners won't be confused?

Do we have great problems when we go abroad? Hardly. So, why should foreigners have problems in this country? Unless they're thick, of course.

But don't we need the state to impose standards?

What like TCP/IP (it makes the internet possible) or Windows? Again, hardly. Or, as Mark Holland puts it:

Does the Fat Duck at Bray have three stars from HM Inspectorate of Cuisine? Does the latest Arcam CD player have 5 stars from HM Inspectorate of High Fidelity? Does The Happy Valley Caravan Park have three gold badges from HM Inspectorate of Caravan and Camping Amenities? Does Bubbles Massage Parlour And Executive Stress Relief have a good write up on Punternet courtesy of HM Inspectorate of Professional Blow Job Delivery? No, no, no and no.

But if the state doesn't impose a standard like this, all sorts of standards might exist

Perhaps, but what are the chances of that? If CrozierInc decided to sell everything in its unique units then that would deter customers. It is, of course, possible that it would persist but there would have to be a very good reason for doing so. Some readers may remember a bicycle company from the 1980s whose components were all non-standard. It went out of business.

But isn't metric more modern?

I always find this argument rather odd. What's the big deal about modernity? If I went out and invented a completely new unit - the CrozierInch - would these people be obliged to support the introduction of that simply because it was more modern than metric? If anything, surely modernity is a disadvantage in a system of units. Think of the conversion costs not to speak of the confusion arising when dealing with historical documents.

But isn't metric more logical and scientific?

• Well, it's certainly more consistent but, again, so what? If consistency were such a big deal people would be leaping at the opportunity to use metric, an opportunity they gained in 1860 something when metric measurements were first permitted. Of course, they didn't leap at it because, as it happens, it wasn't such a big deal.
• I am certainly impressed that metric measurements are used in science. I am particularly impressed that they are used in the British military. That's a business where you have got to get it right. But, again, so what? What use is metric to me down at Tescos? Not much as far as I can see

Comments

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