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Everyday Ageism

anyone else fed up with

(86 Posts)
flaxwoven Sun 26-Feb-17 08:14:31

I'm in my 60's and grew up with inches, feet, yards, miles, pounds and ounces, pints, temperature 98.4, also £, shillings and pence and so on. I still hate grams and litres, and no idea at all about kilometres - I think in miles. When I go to the butcher I ask for a pound of mince and he knows exactly what I mean. Perhaps I'm just refusing to move with the times. Anyone else feel the same?

vampirequeen Sun 26-Feb-17 08:22:28

I was educated at the cusp of the introduction of metric so I'm rubbish at both. But mainly I think in imperial. If I need to visualise a distance or length I have to convert the metric to imperial. I also as for oz and lbs in shops. Again because I can't visualise metric amounts.

However when I weigh out my porridge oats for breakfast I do it in grams.

Welshwife Sun 26-Feb-17 08:28:55

I found it difficult initially but we changed over to teaching metric in schools very early on which meant I had to grab it and deal with it. As far as money and length was concerned I thought it took all the fun out of so much maths - all the multiplying or dividing needed when adding or multiplying and conversion etc.
As to weight I simply think in half kilos if I want a pound - not exact but near - liquid is a bit more out of kilter with a litre being 32fluid ounces. Area and linear measure is not too far out but if I want to convert I think 39inches for a metre. --- no I find it fun and a bit of brain exercise.

f77ms Sun 26-Feb-17 08:29:53

I am another who thinks in Feet and inches , pounds and ounces . I just cannot visualise metric amounts so I suppose I am also stuck in the past but it doesn`t bother me grin

thatbags Sun 26-Feb-17 08:30:58

I use both forms of measurement but I find I have to write down metric lengths because I just don't remember them. I still can't visialise a metric length as well as I can one in feet and inches.

Weights are easier. I have my grandma's old balance scales and sets of both imperial and metric weights. I use whichever a recipe uses and know rough equivalents fairly well.

Clothes sizing is a mystery nowadays but I know my measurements in inches so can work things out if I have to!

I don't think you're refusing to move with the time, flax, it's just that you learned the imperial measuring system when you were very young and it has stuck smile

janeainsworth Sun 26-Feb-17 08:33:51

No. I do things mainly in metric (buying food, fabric etc). Still travel distance in miles because that's what signposts use.
I don't think in £s shillings and pence either!

Anya Sun 26-Feb-17 08:34:15

I walk in kilometres, but drive in miles. I buy petrol in litres but my watering can is in gallons. I weight ingredients in grams but babies have to be in pounds and ounces to know if it's a big or small one.

But they can't metricise (?) metricate (?) seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months ......or could they hmm

Alima Sun 26-Feb-17 08:42:50

I am quite happy just changing everything back to imperial. I was brought up that way and simply cannot visualise measurements etc the metric way. Never use kilometres, there's the formula to convert them back to miles. That, together with being left handed and being at odds anyway, simply conspires to make my life more exciting.

Lillie Sun 26-Feb-17 08:46:32

Interesting. I still prefer the old imperial measuring system and that's after having lived in Europe for many years.

I can cope with a maximum of two numbers at a time like 10lb 12oz or 15' 11" even. Grams, litres, centimetres, millilitres etc. scare me because there are so many noughts on the end you have to deal with.

The metric money system is easier for some reason!

grannypiper Sun 26-Feb-17 08:51:59

DH was a scaffolder and could never understand why the young lads couldnt work in feet and inches, the first day on the job had to be a maths lesson as scaffolding is still done the old way

Iam64 Sun 26-Feb-17 09:06:49

Our butcher works in lbs and ounces. I know in kilograms, can work out recipes in metric but in my head think of lbs and ounces. I much prefer decimal money as it's easier. I drive at miles per hour, measure driving distances in miles but buy fuel in litres.
I measure my weight in stones and lbs and my height in feet and inches. New baby weights are given in metric but even young medical staff quickly convert it to lbs and ounces (at least they always have for this gran)

Greyduster Sun 26-Feb-17 09:09:35

I still can't properly get my head around metric measure, despite having lived in two
European countries. I still order things in pounds and ounces, and, like bags I have a balance scale with both types of measure. I do try, but I think I'm a bit of a lost cause now.

Welshwife Sun 26-Feb-17 09:12:43

I think engineering measurements are still in thousandths of an inch.
Were we to return to Imperial measures people at school from the 70s would find it very hard to get to grips with.

gillybob Sun 26-Feb-17 09:21:53

I' guess I'm mainly metric. (Food,fabric, fuel etc.) although I find longer distances very hard to visualize in metric and whilst DH (an Engineer) talks in "Milly's" I often have to convert back to feet and inches.

Grannyknot Sun 26-Feb-17 09:37:54

I'm all metric (grew up with decimal system in SA).

I think it is bonkers that "pounds" are abbreviated as "lbs" ... what? and "ounces" as "oz" confused smile

Antonia Sun 26-Feb-17 09:52:38

Since I came to live in France I now think in kilograms, especially for body weight. My sister thinks of her body weight in stones so she can't really understand that I weigh more than I should! I remember when decimalisation first came in, everyone used to ask, "what's that in real money?"

Rosieonline55 Sun 26-Feb-17 10:19:15

When anyone talks to me in Metric, I ask them to repeat in in English! No disrespect intended whatsoever, I just need to understand!

Jalima Sun 26-Feb-17 10:23:15

I'm in my early 70s and think in both but probably visualise in feet and inches so try to do conversions in my head when I'm shopping.
10cms = about 4 inches is helpful to remember.
I think fabrics have been sold in metric for years
1lb = about 450gms

I still think of distance in miles, height in feet and inches and weight in stones and pounds

TillyWhiz Sun 26-Feb-17 10:23:23

I went shopping for dining tables; measured the existing one in millimetres and then found they were good old feet and inches in the shops!

babcia Sun 26-Feb-17 10:24:02

And what about temperatures? I know it's getting hot when it hits the 80s, but centigrade??

Anniebach Sun 26-Feb-17 10:28:00

If I was told to walk a kilometre I wouldn't know if this was three yards or three miles. The extent of my knowledge on metric stuff is to change cms to inches, divide by ten and multiply by four and I think a metre is just under or just over a yard , but could be so wrong

Alima, I too am left handed , enough complications with that

Jalima Sun 26-Feb-17 10:30:10

Lbs is from the Latin for libra (scales)
A pound was libra pondo
'What the Romans did for us' grin

Ounce is from uncia (Latin) via Medieval Italian - onza apparently.

When did Europe 'go metric'?

Jalima Sun 26-Feb-17 10:32:07

I think in centrigrade
DH does know a quick conversion, I think it's 16C = 61F and work from there but I could be wrong.

Jalima Sun 26-Feb-17 10:35:02

annie a metre is about 39 inches but don't take my word for it if you're measuring for curtains grin

radicalnan Sun 26-Feb-17 10:39:47

I used to have a 22 inch waist which seems to have translated into hundreds of centimetres over time ..........I blame that on metrication.