Sir, – I just saw the TV advertisement by Safefood exhorting people to look after their weight. It advises them that if they find that their waists exceed 32 inches for a woman or 36 inches for a man, then they might need to do something about it.
I’m wondering what country do the dinosaurs who conceived this campaign, think they are living in? Most Irish people now measure themselves in metric – most people I know, can and do. From first going into secondary education in 1971, I have been educated through metric measurements right up to university graduation and beyond. It is an insult to our intelligence to create an advertisement that infers we are not capable of measuring our own bodies using a metric tape-measure.
What is the point in educating people in science, geography or mathematics using the metric system, but advising them on health issues using the imperial system? Many school-going children have no idea what a yard, foot, inch or pound is.
It would be comical if it weren’t so idiotic. That’s it – maybe we should laugh at it, and those who need to lose a few kilos, could laugh a little harder. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – While I would agree with Richard Wilson’s evaluation of the metric system as one of the “greatest scientific achievements of all time” (October 4th), I still contend that the phrase, “Going for a 568ml after work”, simply doesn’t have the same ring to it. – Yours, etc,