There was a push toward adopting the metric system under Carter but since then the right wingers have been largely in control of the political discourse.
In 1975, congress passed the Metric conversion act, and created the US Metric Board for planning, coordination, and public education.
This was disbanded under Reagan, particularly due to White House Advisor Lyn Nofziger's efforts [0]. The killing came from the conservative side, straight up.
And yes I was in HS then, and was very enthusiastic about the conversion, and the opposition was generally driven by conservative xenophobic sentiments (and frankly, laziness to learn a new system). I literally heard people say they "didn't want no damn foreign system here", nevermind their ignorance that "standard" wasn't invented in the US either.
The fact is that the same xenophobia, laziness, and willful ignorance is being exploited today to drive RW voting blocks. Metric is now so far off their anti-scale as to be invisible, but if another push comes, I can guarantee that the RW media will be all over the same anti-foreign-stuff on metric.
What's worse, I use both systems nearly every day in my work, and metric is WAAAY easier.
Example: Quickly subtract 5/8" of an inch from from 1' 5 25/32" or subtract 16mm from 452mm - which is easier? Or add 3 tablespoons to 3/4 of a cup vs 44 ml added to 177 ml.. Hell, just the notation in the "standard" system is insane, nevermind the origins (3 barleycorns to the inch or the length of the current king's foot...).
Yes, I get that doing conversions is a pain, but once you get used to the switch (maybe just spend a couple weeks in any other country) it is way easier. Opposition is really either political or an unwillingness to think about it.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_Stat...
But I find day2day use of measurements in inch/ft, e.g. in home renovation and architecture, way way easier than metric system.
I think it's the other way around. The adoption of the metric system was an ideological program from a very specific time. An enlightenment belief in a supreme rational order of things, military science transferred into the real world.
Metric system is cool, but it's not "better". Personally, I think it's worse and awkward for many use cases.
How many feet is 74 inches? How many meters is 1234cm?
(How long did it take for you to do that math in each case?)
So easy. So clean.
1234cm is the dumbest measurement ever. Once you find yourself working with those, you are either a scientist or you have adapted to the machine rather than have the machine adapt to you.
It would still take you longer in your head to come up with 6ft 2inches (which is the wrong answer, btw, the right answer is 6.167 ft.), than it would to come up with 1.234 meters.
> Once you find yourself working with those, you are either a scientist or you have adapted to the machine rather than have the machine adapt to you.
This is a super weird comment for a programming-centric forum.
Also - weight and volume relations have mostly scientific relevance. Not joe schmoe putting up out some drywall, or proportion door and window sizes.
It's not that you can't use metric system. It's just worse for a lot of day2day.
It is ALL DECIMAL, which is the point.
It is in the "English" system that you have to deal with the fractions: the board is 8 feet 1 and 23/32 inches long. Now how long will it be when you cut off 5 3/8 inches from that?
If you can't more quickly subtract 137mm from 2482mm, you are either extremely unusual or insincere.
Nobody will ever convince anyone else that a centimeter is better or worse than an inch. Or a pound vs. a kilogram. It's a ridiculous discussion to have.
When the primary benefit of a choice is consistency, the outliers will always be able to argue that their system works for themselves. Which, unfortunately, misses the point.
Isn't that exactly the point. Why must people to adapt to the system, rather than have the system adapt to the people?
Metric system is a technocratic system. It has technocratic benefits. I value that a lot less than people, who, oh what a coincidence!, are already on the metric system.
I’m gonna make an educated guess that you grew up using imperial units. There’s nothing more “natural” to imperial units. An inch is as arbitrary as a centimeter and a foot as arbitrary as a meter. You can eyeball them all equally accurately, but the imperials are gonna kick your ass when you’re converting.
You have obviously never seriously used both systems. I use both everyday, and the Inch+ is still more familiar.
BUT metric is VASTLY superior and easier
Examples: Quickly subtract 5/8" of an inch from from 1' 5 25/32" or subtract 16mm from 452mm - which is easier?
Quickly add 3 tablespoons to 3/4 of a cup vs 44 ml added to 177 ml..
Hell, just measure something. That stock board is 8 feet 3/8 of an inch long and needs to be cut to 7'6" (or is it 78"). vs 2.448m cut to 1.98m, and even those would be more round numbers working with metric lumber & building.
Sorry, but the only reason you think it is awkward is that you don't use it regularly.
You can measure from 1nm to 1Em using a simple decimal scale, while with imperial you have to handle conversion from twip to inches to foot to yard to mile to league, all using different scales.
Source: am American.
The US gallon is the same as the now-defunct English 'wine gallon'. The US mile was similarly the same as the UK statute mile, until it was indirectly redefined in terms of the metric metre in 1893. So at least the two examples given are not homegrown.
We are an incredibly stupid country, because many of us actively devalue education, or otherwise denigrate people who learn. The requirements for teaching and education varies wildly state to state, including many states that basically have NO requirements for teachers, and we have actual, real, paper textbooks purchased by southern school systems that teach slavery as "not that bad"
In scenarios where metric is actually needed or appropriate nobody has any trouble using metric. Every kid has learned it in school for decades.
This is the key point. What people asking this question often miss is that the US is actually a dual system country. Metric is quite common anywhere it is valuable to use! So the places it isn't used are mostly the places it isn't so useful, or at least where the transition cost is very high.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter#Cause_of_...
It's also not political insofar as whether we use metric or imperial de facto depends on the decisions of many thousands of manufacturers and suppliers, not the government. Are they going to outlaw all the imperial measuring tapes, or institute a buy back program?