h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As you know, the U.S. is one of the few (only?) countries which does not use the metric system. However, in America the Metric System has an "alternative" use: references to illegal drugs.

Now, don't get me wrong. If you hear someone talking about milligrams, they're probably talking about something health-related, like how much sodium or cholesterol or whatever is in some food. However, the usage of higher measurements (especially Kilograms or "kilos" or "keys", but sometimes also grams) is normally associated with drugs.

If someone says "I'm gonna score a couple grams tonight," they're referring to obtaining some kind of drug. Or, if you hear, "...and they found several kilograms at Mr. Smith's house," then the person in question was arrested (presumably) for having a larger quantity of drugs.

It's ironic that America's ultimate societal adoption of Metric is for illegal purposes. The only exception to this I'm aware of is in dealing with cocaine, where "ounces" are still frequently used.

And, while it is true that all of our foodstuffs have metric measurements on them, nobody really uses them unless you're from another country. Even the guy or gal at the counter is unlikely in the extreme to have any idea about the metric measurements on the label.

For us, a "two liter" of a beverage is really a adjective, not a measurement.

Mike