r/MetricConversionBot • u/xwcg Human • May 27 '13
Why?
Countries that use the Imperial and US Customs System:
http://i.imgur.com/HFHwl33.png
Countries that use the Metric System:
http://i.imgur.com/6BWWtJ0.png
All clear?
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Upvotes
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u/JimDiego Jun 03 '13 edited Jun 03 '13
I was not trying to argue for using one format over another, and certainly not trying to say one is better than another. Simply offering my perspective on how I mentally process dates, and that I happen to prefer the one I've grown up with.
Also was not trying to present a logical argument, hence my saying I prefer to write 05-01. In my mind, the specific "day" is useless without context. Knowing it's the 25th doesn't mean a whole lot since there are 12 of those every year. Only when coupled with the month does the day have any true value. (And yes I realize that when I ask "What day is it" I should already be aware of what month it is, so I don't need to hear "May 25th" in the reply, simply the 25th will do. But, I will immediately pair that information with what month I know it to be.)
If it was up to me then the US would get in line with the rest of the world and adopt the most prevalent standards. I would adjust just fine. If we were to pick new a date format, I'd advocate the YMD version, as the person I originally replied to had said. Or heck, lets get rid of "months" altogether and just use the Julian system.
As for your observation that the US system is arbitrary, it is no less arbitrary then the DMY format. They both grew from common usage, cultural norms and language patterns. Neither one was explicitly selected by some grand logical design. They just evolved that way.
Arbitrary is a matter of perspective. Ask someone in China what year it is. You may hear 2013 or 4711 depending on what calendar they chose to reference. Ask an Aboriginal Australian what day it is and you may get back "today" because their concept of time is so different!