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Is the UK backwards too? All of their road signs use miles, and English units are still used in other aspects of life.
Canada uses more English units than you probably think as well. Sobey's still advertises meats and produce prices by the pound while metric is there too, though in much smaller print. I do find it really odd though certain things are sold per 100 grams; that's just such a small weigh to use IMO. Who buys just 100 grams of deli meat or seafood?
among industrialized countries, the US is undoubtedly a backwater, powerful and influential as it is. Using the imperial system is just one of the many manifestations. The religion obsession, gun culture, the fuss over abortion etc. Gay marriage was just legalized couple of years ago. How any of these don't constitute backwater? What's to LOL about? Are you in the total delusion that the US leads the world in everything and everyone looks up to it? Give me a break.
Gay marriage still isn't legal in Germany, Italy, Finland (even though it will be in 2017), Austria, Czech Republic, and Australia. Why are you bashing the US on this when there are still many developed countries that have not legalized gay marriage? Most of the ones I listed have civil unions, but it's still not full marriage. A slight majority of Americans also consider themselves pro choice, a majority of Americans do not go to church weekly, and 60% of Americans don't own a gun as well (my family and I are the in majority that don't have one). Seems like you think all of America is like the Deep South or Great Plains. I do agree though too many in the older generations think it's still like 1960 with certain things, but that will die out over time.
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Originally Posted by botticelli
yep, that's pretty stupid I think. Guess old habits die hard. Canada is weird - using pound but kilometers, and square feet. It is like it can't make a decision to follow the US or the rest of the world.
I guess someday those who can't handle kilos and square meters will eventually die out.
I've always found that odd too actually. I'm pretty fluent in metric knowledge so I have no issues with understanding road signs or the temperature in Canada.
Last edited by bradjl2009; 04-07-2016 at 08:15 AM..
among industrialized countries, the US is undoubtedly a backwater, powerful and influential as it is. Using the imperial system is just one of the many manifestations. The religion obsession, gun culture, the fuss over abortion etc. Gay marriage was just legalized couple of years ago. How any of these don't constitute backwater? What's to LOL about? Are you in the total delusion that the US leads the world in everything and everyone looks up to it? Give me a break.
Canada is backwater in many aspects too. Online shopping/payment for example. It is like in the stone ages. Public transit in Toronto, the largest city, feels very backwaterish to me. Let's not even talk about the train system nation wide (same for the US). It is embarrassingly backwards.
The UK while still using some of the imperial systems, at least most British know what a meter, a kilo or a kilometer is, unless most Americans who simply can't handle the conversion and have no idea what the rest of world is like.
What's extremely pathetic about American mindset is they somehow still think it is 1960 when the US is half of the world economy, so it is a matter of the US versus rest of the world. Sorry, times have changed and the US is nothing but 20% of the world. Still powerful but have no illusion that it dominates everything. It lags behind in any things. It is perfect fine for other countries to look down upon it from time to time.
would personally relish the opportunity to be interviewed by Rick Mercer, with my wife hopefully videoing in the likely event he didn't use it. I would play along with him and then make mincemeat of him.
Specifically, I would ask him how many MP's PEI had sitting at the time of confederation, in 1867. Hint, PEI actually joined later even though the organizational meeting was held in Charlottetown. Or I would ask him to name CDN PM's in order. I personally can only do it for Wilfred Laurier on.
Also, back in April 2007 my wife took me and my children to Niagara Falls, Canada to celebrate my 50th birthday.
I was chatting with a guy at the hotel bar after the Leafs lost, again. He stated that he was sure he knew more US history than I did (similar to the views of this poster), and certainly more US history than I knew about Canadian history. He asked me to test him. I asked him which two elections were decided by the House of Representatives and not the usual way, by the Electoral College. He answered, wasn't it the "Taft" election.
I responded that the Taft election, in 1912, was one of the few where a major party, the Republicans, got less votes than a third party, in tihs case Ted Roosevelt's "Bull Moose Progressives". I said "sort of like your 1993 and 1997 elections where the Bloc and the Reform got more than the Progressive Conservatives.
He said "I rest my case", and said he was astounded an American could quote Canadian elections from memory.
Your point seems to be " I'm an American who is knowledgeable about Canada ".
Good for you? I or others never said their weren't Americans savvy about Canada, we just mentioned the funny ones that aren't, and the fact that some of that ignorance is way off the scale.
Just seemed like a small unit to use when a lot of deli meat (here at least) is bought at 225-450 g.
I think using 100g is more of marketing tactic to make the price appear lower.
In most of Europe, I think they use kilo. In China, people transact in 500g (people don't say 500 grams, there is a specific unit just for that). Unless for small quantities such as tea leaves or diamonds etc of course.
only because too many Americans are so ready to dismiss the rest of the world. I need to show them that America is not the great power everyone looks up to any more. It lags behind in many areas in fact.
Is this entirely true though? I've found almost everyone where I live, even college age, give weight and height in pounds and feet/inches, for example. I once gave my height in cm (I knew it b/c it's on my passport) and they seemed confused. I also have found that specialty shops auch as the butchers often use pounds, though at the supermarket the younger staff can't convert to metric. Another place I see it is in real estate - home and lot dimensions are in feet and acres. Makes sense since these homes and lots were built and platted in feet.
Interestingly, I saw the carpentry program at our community college teaches a segment on imperial measurements, so obviously people.don't know it well.
I personally think it's all good.We have a history with one system and there's value to that. And metric is good for science and trade.
Not entirely true or even equally applied across the country, or even cities. The store my friend works in, does not sell meat, fruit etc in Imperial, everything is metric.
Looking at one of the larger grocery store chains in my area, again it's all over the map. Some products weight is only in metric, and a few in both. No tinned goods or juices are advertised in Imperial, only metric.
As for scales, it might depend on the age of the scale? Perhaps next time you are at your butchers, ask them if the scale does Imperial, or are they just converting to the metric equivalent?
The scales at the shop my friend works at are metric only, and the younger people there do not know Imperial weights. They have a conversion chart up on the wall to help them when someone asks in the old measurements.
I think using 100g is more of marketing tactic to make the price appear lower.
In most of Europe, I think they use kilo. In China, people transact in 500g (people don't say 500 grams, there is a specific unit just for that). Unless for small quantities such as tea leaves or diamonds etc of course.
However advertising meat in pounds, rather than Kilo's makes the price seem cheaper. I think that's why you see some ads still using pounds.
When I buy by weight, I say grams if it's under 1 kilo.
And that's an anecdote that the person who uttered it wants to believe about Canada.
The conversation went further. He just really equated gun ownership with freedom. I don't think he thought Canada was an oppressed regime, but just " not as free " as the US.
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