• Deme
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    3 months ago

    There is no pride in understanding a nonsensical system of measurements.

    Empathize with stupidity and you’re halfway to thinking like an idiot

    • Iain M. Banks
      • Deme
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        3 months ago

        Oh no. I just want to be rid of the imperial system. I would have no issue with it if it wasn’t a part of my life. Unfortunately I work in a field where imperial units are used world wide (apart from China and Russia for historical reasons). Because of this, I use some of those units myself every day at work. I understand some of them but take no pride in it. The only reason that the imperial system is still used so much is purely by convention. It is inferior to the metric system in every aspect. I do not feel superior to people who use imperial units because as stated above, I am one of them. People who I feel superior to are the ones who delude themselves into thinking that this somehow isn’t purely because of convention. I dislike them because they are forced upon me by international conventions. OP appears to dislike them because recipes written in English force those units into their life.

        • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Op is an idiot. If I read an article in German, which I don’t understand, I don’t rage about it. I either use a translator app or I find a different recipe.

          • Deme
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            3 months ago

            Bear in mind that there are multiple countries where English is the largest language and metric is used, and that English is the modern lingua franca. It just so happens that the largest english speaking country has some weird ways to measure things. As such those weird measurements and associated conversions are often forced on anyone who wants to look for a recipe in English, be that their native language or not.

              • Deme
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                2 months ago

                Fair point. Rephrase: largest English speaking country by internet footprint, global influence or some similar measure.

            • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              Ok that’s a bit shaky but by the same token sometimes when I look up recipes there’s metric measurements. It takes like 30 seconds to look up a site that does conversions.

              Despite the stereotype by Europeans, Americans don’t get all butthurt when we see metric. That’s pure projection on the part of Europeans. We just take 30 seconds to look up a conversion and then get the fuck on with our lives.

              Europeans flying into an incoherent rage when they see imperial units is just pathetic and childish.

              • Deme
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                2 months ago

                I think you’re taking the trollface in the meme a bit too literally. It’s annoying and unnecessary, and can cause mistakes that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Ahem, the Mars Climate Orbiter is a good example of a particularly costly one.

                Nobody is flying into an incoherent rage. It’s merely annoying having to accommodate the outdated quirks of one country. You having to do the opposite is quite reasonable on the other hand, because you’re not accommodating the conventions of one country, but those of the rest of the world.

                  • Deme
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                    2 months ago

                    Mostly it’s just people discussing whether flour should be measured by mass or volume. Jokes about using some mcburgers per football field -esque satirical units, some joke about using moles instead. Some comment about a funny misspelling in the meme. Nobody is flying into an incoherent rage.

    • Lizardking27@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Imagine being so small-minded that you refer to everything you don’t understand as nonsense.

      And thanks for the quote. Don’t worry, I have no empathy for you.

      • Deme
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        3 months ago

        Oh I understand it pretty well. I just take no pride in that. If I don’t remember something I can always look it up. Doesn’t mean it’s not impractical nonsense.