America should switch to the metric system

“The main problems with changing systems are complications, inconveniences, time, and it probably would not work anyway.” A simple one line assertion has been put forth and it comes with no citation and no reference of any kind. My opponent drew attention to my use of Wikipedia as a source in my previous post and I would like to note his use of a source for clarity on the matter. No matter how you spin it, Wikipedia is a not a credible source, and I have to accept that. However, the story behind the Gimli Glider incident is complicated and has numerous articles that can be cited. It so happens that the article I linked to has a number of direct links to many of the articles, and itself has 17 citations of note. In the future I will link to them directly. On the other hand, my opponent has cited a blog entry. This blog entry is clearly of a humorous nature and as such I cannot see the relevance to this debate. Questioning a citation is good, as that leads you to actually look into them. There is much about Wikipedia that is in flux, but that does not mean the contents of every page are simply unreliable garbage to be dismissed simply because the word “Wikipedia” is in the url. On the topic of dismissing, my opponent has chosen to wipe the board of my examples because they occurred “a long time ago” or was a “stupid mistake.” This is not necessarily so, and quite irrelevant. The examples I chose illustrate the issues that can happen in a situation where people, and machines, are given something that is assumed to be of a type they are used to. Making these two assertions without the logic, reason or some form of citation comes down to opinion and as such I would like to ask my opponent to explain in clearer language why the age of an event, or why his assertion that the medical situation is a stupid mistake stands to reason. My opponent seems to hold the belief that “older” people will not take to the metric system, simply asserting that “People as young as their 30s would have difficulty in learning new ideas.” This opinion based statement is not well founded. There are foundations that exist with the express purpose of teaching elderly people, and while it is well accepted that ability to learn is impacted with age, there are a number of sources for improving an elderly persons ability to learn. Memory can be improved with mental exercises as well as well established guidelines on the matter. [1][2] And while my searching was focused on elderly learning, the techniques are also applicable to those in their 30s, as well as the ages that are below that. [3] My opponent also alludes to the metric system being difficult to learn. That is not the case. [4][5][6] There are even lesson plans that show how to intertwine the metric system into practically all veins of school. [7] Adults may find it a daunting experience until they step into learning it, at which time they will quickly pick up on the simplicity behind it. My opponent would have us believe that because it is not an overnight switch, and thereby simple, converting to metric should not be attempted because it “would not work anyway.” Up until the 1970s Canada used the Imperial system, as we do currently, but they have succeeded in adopting the metric system, and I’m fairly sure that Canada had people over the age of 30 within its country during the process and after. [8] With all of that said, it is important to keep the scope of this problem in mind. America may be larger and have a larger population than our brothers and sisters to the north, but by no means does that mean that they are necessarily smarter, or that Americans are necessarily dumber than the other. The reasons for employing the metric system loom over our heads and need to be either refuted or accepted. 1)http://news.bbc.co.uk... 2)http://medicalcenter.osu.edu... 3)http://www.fi.edu... 4)http://www.ehow.com... 5)http://themetricsystem.info... 6)http://lamar.colostate.edu... 7)http://homeroomteacher.com... 8)http://lamar.colostate.edu...