What do you think about MAMA branding for switching to metric?

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snarkwithfae@reddit

It didn’t work 50 years ago and it ain’t gonna work now.

Left wing and I like my freedom degrees, inches and miles.

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ghoulthebraineater@reddit

Left wing and I can use both. I'm pretty comfortable with millimeters. I've got things in 5.56mm, 6.5mm, 9mm, 7.62x54mm etc.

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EvangelineTheodora@reddit

50 years ago they tried to teach how to convert from US standard to metric, and that's just confusing. It would have worked if they would have just gone cold turkey with it.

But yeah, freedom units for temperature, at least, are superior.

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We use metric plenty and where don’t use it I don’t see ever changing. That slogan is awful I am a centrist. Metric for science is great. But I genuinely prefer Fahrenheit for temperature Celsius just doesn’t cut it.

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crazycatlady331@reddit

Do we? We as in the general population, not those in occupations that use metric at work?

I know OF metric as I learned it in school. But I haven't used it in my adult life. I don't drink soda (sold in liters) or use drugs. I am not in STEM, healthcare, or construction.

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Sea_Analysis_8033@reddit

Yes but you have to realize you are not the norm for not drinking soda or doing drugs or having a job where you occasionally have to measure stuff.

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allaboutaphie@reddit

62 here and have had to hear about switching to metric since elementary school, but not much done to do it. When in HS and college did learn metric and so much easier to understand. But, now years later and in a field not needed do not know the metric system. Fine anyway it goes but ongoing debate for many years\,

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AdelleDeWitt@reddit

I think that's awful branding. It sounds like it's being run by the current administration.

Also we were never metric so we can't go metric again.

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PuddleCrank@reddit

Legally the USA is metric. According to the metric conversion act of 1975, "metric is the preferred system of weights and measures for United States commerce."

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ghoulthebraineater@reddit

And the imperial system we use is defined by the metric system.

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lyralady@reddit

Incorrect! The US was one of the first formal signers/backers of the metric system (SI) and use of the metric system has been legal in this country since 1866. We legally and formally recognize metric on the governmental level, and have for a long time.

It's just that we use a hybrid system and the average populace still favors US customary measurements for many things because Ronald Reagan cut funding for metrication and it's "voluntary" for individual adoption.

It is now common knowledge that the U.S. is one of a handful of countries that still use non-SI measurements in our daily lives and in many commercial transactions. In fact, the U.S. system is considered a hybrid system, in which both U.S. customary and metric system measurements are used routinely. In the grocery store, we commonly use a mix of milliliters, liters, grams, kilograms, quarts, pints, and pounds. In contrast, a visit to the doctor's office will involve (mostly) SI units, as healthcare measurements are commonly conducted (and recorded) using the metric system.

NIST OWM's Elizabeth Benham was recently interviewed by National Geographic and described some of the reasons behind the U.S.'s lagged adoption of the metric system, including how a voluntary approach to adoption can slow down progress. She notes that “It’s been legal to use the metric system in the United States since 1866," and that the metric system is the nation’s preferred system of measurement for trade and commerce.

NIST.gov "Reasons why the US doesn't currently use the metric system."

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GrowlingAtTheWorld@reddit

Well we were never not great so obvious it is the same thought process.

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ladymacb29@reddit

Hey if it works to get us to switch to metric, I’m all for it.

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AdelleDeWitt@reddit

No I don't think tying it to an increasingly unpopular white nationalist movement is going to work, although it's totally possible that the current Administration would forget that they weren't the ones that came up with the idea if it has a name that sounds like they would come up with.

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fuck_you_reddit_mods@reddit

He'll no, Imperial forever!

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MrsMitchBitch@reddit

When was the USA ever metric in the first place?

Also- this is a dumb acronym.

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Batmom207@reddit

Yes and no. An Act was passed, but if you are not going to enforce it, what good is it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_Conversion_Act

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CommanderKrieger@reddit

I think it’s stupid to be concerned about making the US switch. There’s a lot worse things to be concerned about than how we measure shit.

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bearsnchairs@reddit

Again? When was the first time?

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7thAndGreenhill@reddit

The US tried to switch to metric in the 70s. Stubbornness prevailed.

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lyralady@reddit

If by that, you mean Ronald Reagan cut funding, then yes.

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BrainFartTheFirst@reddit

We tried to switch to it even sooner than that.

British privateers stopped that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_States#18th_century

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Aloh4mora@reddit

I love that the word for it is apparently "metrication."

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Drivo566@reddit

Yeah but we didnt make the switch, so it still doesnt mske sense to say "again" when we were never metric.

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bearsnchairs@reddit

Exactly.

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Fantastic-Pop-9122@reddit

Yes i remember beginning to learn it in grade school then....gone.

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sophisticated_alpaca@reddit

The US is “legally metric” in that there was too much inertia behind customary units in common use, but all those customary units are now defined in terms of their metric equivalents

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Mediocre_Ear8144@reddit

Bro had a dream last night

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JodaMythed@reddit

BAM- Bring Americans Metric

MAM- Metric Across America

MFA- Metric For All

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Fantastic-Pop-9122@reddit

Oooh i like BAM.

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GrowlingAtTheWorld@reddit

Books a million has it trademarked.

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cschoonmaker@reddit

Emeril Lagasse can be the spokesperson.

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thejt10000@reddit

I want it to be a bipartisan movement

You think conservatives would EVER get on board with this? LOL.

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Batmom207@reddit

It was a conservative who passed the Metric Conversion Act, another who disallowed it, and a third who tried to put it back into practice. It’s very confusing for people who actually have to work with it. Speaking as a retired tool and die maker, we had to be proficient in both systems. It made for a lot of mistakes. It still does in a lot of machine shops who still have machines that are geared to run on the English system, so you are still forced to convert from metric to English in order to get it to do what you want.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_Conversion_Act

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travelinmatt76@reddit

If it in any way looks like MAGA I'm turning away, doesn't matter if it saves all the starving children in the world

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PtZamboat@reddit

Colonists left England taking the collective English units of measurements with them. GB went metric only 200-ish years ago. Yes, metric is mathematically better but no one is going to force America into anything.

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ScrimshawPie@reddit

Can we just start with kids reading clocks? Metric is too much rn.

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digawina@reddit

You do realize you are not the first to try to convert us, right? Like, someone else has mentioned a movement in the 70s. There was also one in the 80s. I assume every decade there has been a "movement" for this, but it always fails. We do not have the appetite for this. No thanks.

And associating anything with MAGA is a non-starter.

Also, the "again" is wrong since we would not be "going back to metric."

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urquhartloch@reddit

Terrible branding. We already use metric for a lot of things (2 liter bottles of soda?). The issue is not will but resources. You would have to replace trillions of road signs as well as trillions of dollars in measuring equipment.

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Candiiluck@reddit

🥀

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Astute_Primate@reddit

Awesome idea. I teach science and work on cars so I actually think in metric more than imperial units. I would love it if the US went to metric.

Shit branding though. We're done making America anything again after 2028

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Drunk_Lemon@reddit (OP)

Makes sense. I initially thought of it to try to win over the right but it definitely seems to be leaning too heavily on the right.

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ChutneyRiggins@reddit

We already use metric when it makes sense. I don't see a lot of difference in asking for 200 grams of shrimp versus a half pound and making the speed limit 100 km/h instead of 60 mph. Who cares?

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FoggyGoodwin@reddit

Make America Metric - MAM

Make America Metric At Last - MAMAL

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MangaMaven@reddit

Anything "Make America ___ Again" will be associated with Trump.

Please don't associate metric with Trump.

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Living-Pomegranate37@reddit

Resident Frump should use one of those presidential orders he's so fond of and just declare us metric. Do some good for once. Left leaning.

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AKA-Pseudonym@reddit

Trump is extremely unpopular right now. Not just on Reddit, but for real. Co-branding him with anything that isn't a Republican primary candidate is asking for trouble.

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CaramelMacchiatoPlzz@reddit

Make American [X] Again is branding for... a certain group.

I swear no one who deals with actual measurements professionally cares about the whole metric debate in America. I work with surveyors, engineers and various environmental scientist and we don't care. We have electronic measuring devices.

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Twisty12223@reddit

Nah. I use metric when it makes sense but I like Freedom Units for day to day life.

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silversurf1234567890@reddit

What’s the drive size on metric sockets??????

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raobuntu@reddit

So most people don't know this but we already use the metric system everywhere that it matters - science, medicine, tech, land use, manufacturing, nutrition (e.g. mg of sugar/caffiene), and trade. We just use imperial units for everyday life

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Batmom207@reddit

jmo, but yes, I think it is too close to MAGA; however, it might be the only way to sell it to the Confederacy.

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RogueCoon@reddit

The United States will never switch to metric. We built too much stuff in standard.

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Arleare13@reddit

"I want it to be bipartisan, so I'm going to name it after something that reminds everyone of Trump!"

...not sure you thought that one through.

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Kat-Sith@reddit

Maga is toxic and taints everyone associated with it. The initial reaction of a lot of people is going to be to assume that you're fascist if you're using trumpisms at all.

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OceanPoet87@reddit

No thank you. Also fields that use metric already do so. No need to spend money overhauling everything when there are other things that would be more useful.

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Chinacat_Sunflower72@reddit

I'd love to go metric but you need a different name. Sounds way too Maga.

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MrHandsRadDay@reddit

We. Will. Never. Convert.

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HeimLauf@reddit

Who’s this we?

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MrHandsRadDay@reddit

Like it or not, that very much includes you if you live in the states.

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TomBombomb@reddit

Extremely hard to do, but the metric system kind of makes more sense.

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PrimaryHighlight5617@reddit

I would think that this is some mother's initiative. Like a pediatric advisory or something. The only context in which metric is used in America is in a scientific setting, and with the name Mama, it reads as pediatric.

On top of all this, there's no reason why we should switch to metric. Why should we replace all of our equipment that is designed to imperial standards

What is the profit incentive for a lumber yard to start producing 35x70 mm lumber? What's the profit incentive for architects to start designing with these specifications? Construction is often a field manned by people where formal education really wasn't their strong suit. No shame just the facts. What's the profit incentive to train all of them on metric system measurements?

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DuelJ@reddit

Oof

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Mushrooming247@reddit

You are right in thinking that name is too close to MAGA and people will not get on board unless they relate to that, “let’s drag America backward to a worse time when my people had more power” mentality.

But also, I don’t think the metric system is going to catch on here because the metric world isn’t going to agree to condense units of measurement the way we do here in the US.

Like we wouldn’t say we are 66 inches tall, or 11 half-feet tall, we instinctively count the largest unit first, so we would say that we were 5 feet and 6 inches tall.

That serious difference in measurements is a wall between us.

I can’t take anyone seriously who says they are 150 or 160 or 170 of something tall, that looks like you’re measuring your height in blueberries and are the size of a Smurf no matter how tall you are.

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therealsanchopanza@reddit

r/thanksihateit

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7thAndGreenhill@reddit

The problem is that a politician will have to use a tremendous amount of political capital to pull off this kind of change. Like Obamacare type political capital. And the benefit is not going to be worth the effort.

Left wing. Believe metric is better. But don’t see it being worth the fight to change.

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Fantastic-Pop-9122@reddit

"Again" is a bit misleading. We tried to go metric for like half a minute.

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HeimLauf@reddit

I don’t really think any MA_A format is good.

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Roam1985@reddit

You'll piss off everyone who doesn't hate things just for being 'foreign' with the maga-like branding.

You'll piss off everyone who doesn't hate the maga-like branding for the 'foreign' metric system.

Seems like a way to fail to get any support from anybody.

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nippleflick1@reddit

Sounds like Trump branding

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Murderhornet212@reddit

No

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Innuendo64_@reddit

The reason we haven't switched isn't because of branding.

To truly pull it off, we would have to successfully enforce a metric-only policy across public and private schools, then make it 20-40 years without anyone reversing that decision. It's a tall order

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Eratticus@reddit

America was never metric to begin with and any association with MAGA is not helpful to the mission.

Rather than a gimmicky name you'd be better off explaining the value of switching to metric because that's really been a hard sell in previous attempts.

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