Quite right! I would also add that it is a US national specific of not caring much about regulations. Such attitude like many other have positive and negative consequences. Fore one it makes the American spirit. On the other hand it makes such changes like metrication a nightmare. Germans for example have a great respect for rules and regulations. If a qualified official or entity says something is "good" or "right" then the majority will most likely follow no matter if it is convenient or not. This attitude like the first one has goods and bads. It surely makes the German spirit and a country that looks sparkling clean and functions remarcably well. In what concerns the blast of inspiration: This is exactly what I was referring in the series "What" of some months ago where I was trying to figure out what would basically shift the mentality of the common American or like you say what would trigger that inspiration. For me, it is still an open question. A> PS: I am not trying to beat the record messages/time written by a person but I have been out for too long and I have to "catch up". -----Original Message----- From: Paul Trusten <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2001 13:01:04 -0500 To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [USMA:14205] "I couldn't be bothered" > When I last asked my father about his feelings towards the US changing > over to the metric system, his answer boiled down to four words which, I > believe, are shared by the working world in all areas of the world > recovering from non-SI usage: "I couldn't be bothered". > > What I think I am seeing is this notion coming to life in stories I read > here on the USMA listerv, ranging from an overhead clearance sign > ignorantly posted in feet in a metric country such as Canada, to a > British man, Mr. Thoburn who is fast becoming a martyr for "daring" to > "not be bothered". Then, we got the two hundred twenty seven kilogram > package of cheese here in the US (Not even a shopping cart big enought > to carry one of them buggers to the checkout)! > > Yes, I think my Dad is right. They couldn't be bothered. Those of us on > this listserv see a standard of measurement as something that is enacted > by law and regulation. But the people who measure things, design > signage, and write packaging, see their standard of measurement as > whatever is familiar to them, not by law and regulation, but by > education and experience. This is why I must insist that national > inspiration be the first step in the changeover to SI in the United > States. We need to make our people care. By a blast of inspiration, we > must first move them to change their knowledge and experience before the > next step, formal education, begins. > -- > Paul Trusten, R.Ph. > 3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apt. 122 > Midland TX 79707-2872 USA > (915)-694-6208 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -- _______________________________________________ FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup FREE PC-to-Phone calls with Net2Phone http://www.net2phone.com/cgi-bin/link.cgi?121
