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| "Measuring Up" |
He was sitting in a clump on the couch, tapping a pencil against his forehead, social studies book spread before him.
This was his thinking position.
“Dad?” asked my 12 year old scholar. I could tell by the inflection in his voice and the wrinkle in his brow that my son had one of those questions.
“Yes?” I answered, rather hesitantly.
“Why do the English use the metric system and Americans use the English system? That doesn’t even make sense.”
For the sake of clarity, I live in the United States, a country which cantankerously clings with bald eagle talons to the English system of measurement.
“Well,” I began, “Americans are a little complicated.”
Is that the best I could do?
“But the metric system is so easy,” my son pursued the issue. He wasn't wrong.
“Look at it this way," the gears were grinding in my brain, "Americans have a really hard time imagining ‘25 degrees’ as a nice, comfortable summer day.”
I was proud of my example.
“Well, water boils at 100 degrees Celsius and freezes at zero. Seriously, that’s so easy,” the young man was relentless.
And he was correct. Multiples of ten. That’s the metric system. Easy.
However, the United States refuses to adopt this simple and easy-to-use system of measurement. The U.S. stands obstinate with Liberia and Burma as the only three countries in the world to still recognize Imperial Units as the official standard of measurement.
I gave some further thought to his most excellent question.
“You see, buddy,” I said in my most convincing father-knows-best voice, “Americans have always had a … difficult time adapting to something new. Americans can be a little ... stubborn.”
My son made a snorting sound from his nose.
“Or a little stupid,” he mumbled as he flipped a page in his textbook.
Yeah, I chuckled to myself, or a little stupid.
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