Why do Americans do the date differently?

[The Rookie Gamer]

Does it really matter?

Can we chain quote this?

I will.

OT: I'm really pissed with this turning into a "My country is better than yours" argument.

 

[Lethos]

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

England isn't an island it's a country along with Scotland and Wales that make up the island of great britain which contains numerous small islands as well.

Japan is several thousand islands not just one. I'm not attacking you just letting you know

*sigh* Two isolated archipelagos. Better? They also both have an odd predilection towards calling undergarments "pants".

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

Actually driving on the left was how it was done originally. It was a system invented by the Romans and the whole of Europe was using it up until Napoleon decided that everyone should drive on the right. So really we're right, you're wrong, again.

Terribly intriguing, old chap, but you haven't clarified what else you're "right" about. Sticking unnatural letters into words and calling it classy certainly isn't "right". (Napoleon, eh? Sure was a looong time ago, wasn't it?)
God bless the Englanders. If they're not adding cosmetic changes to something and retroactively claiming it's correct, or losing half the world in one fell/prolonged swoop, they're keeping traditions the rest of the world gave up and claiming superiority for it. Must be nice to live in a little soap bubble while the rest of the world has to share borders with things.

Wtf? Did your girlfriend leave you for an English bloke or something? You seem to have a rather large chip on your soldier. I think it's cute that your perception of England is out of date by about 100 years but, you really shouldn't display your ignorance so openly.

Ah, sorry, governor. Allow me to do the more more acceptable thing:
Gaw! America! Those Yanks are their differences from us! What uneducated tobbyrot! *monocle*

Have you ever been to England?

 

[mr_rubino]

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

England isn't an island it's a country along with Scotland and Wales that make up the island of great britain which contains numerous small islands as well.

Japan is several thousand islands not just one. I'm not attacking you just letting you know

*sigh* Two isolated archipelagos. Better? They also both have an odd predilection towards calling undergarments "pants".

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

Actually driving on the left was how it was done originally. It was a system invented by the Romans and the whole of Europe was using it up until Napoleon decided that everyone should drive on the right. So really we're right, you're wrong, again.

Terribly intriguing, old chap, but you haven't clarified what else you're "right" about. Sticking unnatural letters into words and calling it classy certainly isn't "right". (Napoleon, eh? Sure was a looong time ago, wasn't it?)
God bless the Englanders. If they're not adding cosmetic changes to something and retroactively claiming it's correct, or losing half the world in one fell/prolonged swoop, they're keeping traditions the rest of the world gave up and claiming superiority for it. Must be nice to live in a little soap bubble while the rest of the world has to share borders with things.

Wtf? Did your girlfriend leave you for an English bloke or something? You seem to have a rather large chip on your soldier. I think it's cute that your perception of England is out of date by about 100 years but, you really shouldn't display your ignorance so openly.

Ah, sorry, governor. Allow me to do the more more acceptable thing:
Gaw! America! Those Yanks are their differences from us! What uneducated tobbyrot! *monocle*

Have you ever been to England?

Have you ever been to America?

 

[ikey]

Does it really matter?

Can we chain quote this?

I will.

OT: I'm really pissed with this turning into a "My country is better than yours" argument.

I know dude, I mean it's so obvious my country is better than yours, just give it up.
Also, to people who seem to meet America and its citizens, you just have to search in the right places and you'll find some stuff we do differently that's actually smart, such as... well I can't think of anything right now, but I'm sure there's something.

 

[subfield]

I don't know, but I do know they get very confused when the see the date written in some semblance
of proper order as DD/MM/YYYY (basically everywhere except Russia) or YYYY/MM/DD (ISO).

Don't even get me started on the use of imperial units.

 

[PeePantz]

First off, it seems like a lot of people are bashing America because it doesn't conform to the rest of the world. To that, we essentially say "Fuck off", and there's nothing wrong with that. There are many differences that we don't care about. If you come here, use our date system. Don't be whiny about it. When I visit, say, England, I'll use your date system. I have no problem with that. It's rude and narrow minded to try to interject your ways on another country (I get it, "the irony of that statement"). However, just look at this thread and realize that everyone's guilty of it.

Secondly, like someone mentioned, this was started purely for a better filing system. It's a lot easier to track down something when you search for it in monthly blocks. This just caught on to your everyday person. Really not that hard or mysterious. It has nothing to do with "being different" or flipping England the bird. It was just way more practical.

Thirdly, it's shameful how many apologetic Americans there are here. Don't you dare apologize on behalf of me or others. Unless you act like how you paint a stereotypical American, no need to be apologetic. America has problems, but the rest of the world has a shit ton as well. Because they are different, doesn't make them smaller or worse.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

xD *have a cookie*

The amount of times ive been on an american site or whatever and thought for a moment 'how the fuck can there be 16 months? Ahhh, nowww i remember.' Not many times, actually. Its more annoying when the day is the 1st-12th so then you read it as d/m/y and because the day is the thing you automatically look for u end up having the wrong date. Grr.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

Maybe it's to bring it in line with (what might be) the most common way Americans say it. "Today is January first, of two thousand eleven."

Maybe the government considers the month more important than the day on their documents (maybe for organizational and cataloging purposes), so they format it like that.

Honestly, I don't know.

This is EXACTLY why we do it.
In time gone by, and to a good extent you can thank the Military, but it was just more convenient (and helped avoid confusion) to write things as they were said or dictated.
Thus, if I tell you to take down a letter for me, I'll say "February 14th, 2010" or "Tuesday, February 14th, 2010"

Consider it the same way as the word "ain't"
Ain't isn't really a word, or rather, it WASN'T, but popular usage for ease of speech made it a common phrase.

 

[blankedboy]

Succes. (idontcarethat'showispellsuccescosnowitsapalindrome^^)

And yeah, Americans just thought "HURR DURR MONTHS ARE LOWER NUMBER SUMTIMES LESH BUT IT IS FRONT?"

In Sweden we do Year/Month/Date

We think it makes far more sense that way...

So... 1995/3/1/3/1995? For the first of March, 1995.

The date is January 1st, 2011.

The date is 01/1/2011.

It is written the way it is spoken.

But everyone I know says "first of january" here.
I'm confuz now

 

[Lethos]

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

England isn't an island it's a country along with Scotland and Wales that make up the island of great britain which contains numerous small islands as well.

Japan is several thousand islands not just one. I'm not attacking you just letting you know

*sigh* Two isolated archipelagos. Better? They also both have an odd predilection towards calling undergarments "pants".

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

Actually driving on the left was how it was done originally. It was a system invented by the Romans and the whole of Europe was using it up until Napoleon decided that everyone should drive on the right. So really we're right, you're wrong, again.

Terribly intriguing, old chap, but you haven't clarified what else you're "right" about. Sticking unnatural letters into words and calling it classy certainly isn't "right". (Napoleon, eh? Sure was a looong time ago, wasn't it?)
God bless the Englanders. If they're not adding cosmetic changes to something and retroactively claiming it's correct, or losing half the world in one fell/prolonged swoop, they're keeping traditions the rest of the world gave up and claiming superiority for it. Must be nice to live in a little soap bubble while the rest of the world has to share borders with things.

Wtf? Did your girlfriend leave you for an English bloke or something? You seem to have a rather large chip on your soldier. I think it's cute that your perception of England is out of date by about 100 years but, you really shouldn't display your ignorance so openly.

Ah, sorry, governor. Allow me to do the more more acceptable thing:
Gaw! America! Those Yanks are their differences from us! What uneducated tobbyrot! *monocle*

Have you ever been to England?

Have you ever been to America?

I have actually, I spent a couple of weeks in NYC. I just find it ironic that in trying to beat the dead horse that is the British stereotype (and if I am honest, it is only the Americans that continue to beat that poor horse), you became the embodiment of the ignorant American stereotype.

 

[mr_rubino]

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

England isn't an island it's a country along with Scotland and Wales that make up the island of great britain which contains numerous small islands as well.

Japan is several thousand islands not just one. I'm not attacking you just letting you know

*sigh* Two isolated archipelagos. Better? They also both have an odd predilection towards calling undergarments "pants".

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

Actually driving on the left was how it was done originally. It was a system invented by the Romans and the whole of Europe was using it up until Napoleon decided that everyone should drive on the right. So really we're right, you're wrong, again.

Terribly intriguing, old chap, but you haven't clarified what else you're "right" about. Sticking unnatural letters into words and calling it classy certainly isn't "right". (Napoleon, eh? Sure was a looong time ago, wasn't it?)
God bless the Englanders. If they're not adding cosmetic changes to something and retroactively claiming it's correct, or losing half the world in one fell/prolonged swoop, they're keeping traditions the rest of the world gave up and claiming superiority for it. Must be nice to live in a little soap bubble while the rest of the world has to share borders with things.

Wtf? Did your girlfriend leave you for an English bloke or something? You seem to have a rather large chip on your soldier. I think it's cute that your perception of England is out of date by about 100 years but, you really shouldn't display your ignorance so openly.

Ah, sorry, governor. Allow me to do the more more acceptable thing:
Gaw! America! Those Yanks are their differences from us! What uneducated tobbyrot! *monocle*

Have you ever been to England?

Have you ever been to America?

I have actually, I spent a couple of weeks in NYC. I just find it ironic that in trying to beat the dead horse that is the British stereotype (and if I am honest, it is only the Americans that continue to beat that poor horse), you became the embodiment of the ignorant American stereotype.

Ah what a coincidence. I see you on a message board whining about American dating systems. I think you might have your top hat on too tight, because it seems dripping irony is yet another thing Englanders like to claim as their own that another civilization created. (And you succeed, I'll admit.)

Sorry, man. I'm not going to bow down and apologize for my birthplace just because you wounded lions still think we somehow care enough to defy you because your ancestors had a tenuous hold on us a century or two ago. It just feeds the unhealthy complex you guys seem to have. I have no problem with you guys being a shell of an empire with your claws clutching for dear life at the closest island you have left, but I think it's about time your bunch dropped the 'tude and joined the rest of the world.

 

[RamirezDoEverything]

We like to be different. *shrug* honestly I have no idea why.

yup, different regions, different customs.

 

[Lethos]

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

England isn't an island it's a country along with Scotland and Wales that make up the island of great britain which contains numerous small islands as well.

Japan is several thousand islands not just one. I'm not attacking you just letting you know

*sigh* Two isolated archipelagos. Better? They also both have an odd predilection towards calling undergarments "pants".

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

Actually driving on the left was how it was done originally. It was a system invented by the Romans and the whole of Europe was using it up until Napoleon decided that everyone should drive on the right. So really we're right, you're wrong, again.

Terribly intriguing, old chap, but you haven't clarified what else you're "right" about. Sticking unnatural letters into words and calling it classy certainly isn't "right". (Napoleon, eh? Sure was a looong time ago, wasn't it?)
God bless the Englanders. If they're not adding cosmetic changes to something and retroactively claiming it's correct, or losing half the world in one fell/prolonged swoop, they're keeping traditions the rest of the world gave up and claiming superiority for it. Must be nice to live in a little soap bubble while the rest of the world has to share borders with things.

Wtf? Did your girlfriend leave you for an English bloke or something? You seem to have a rather large chip on your soldier. I think it's cute that your perception of England is out of date by about 100 years but, you really shouldn't display your ignorance so openly.

Ah, sorry, governor. Allow me to do the more more acceptable thing:
Gaw! America! Those Yanks are their differences from us! What uneducated tobbyrot! *monocle*

Have you ever been to England?

Have you ever been to America?

I have actually, I spent a couple of weeks in NYC. I just find it ironic that in trying to beat the dead horse that is the British stereotype (and if I am honest, it is only the Americans that continue to beat that poor horse), you became the embodiment of the ignorant American stereotype.

Ah what a coincidence. I see you on a message board whining about American dating systems. I think you might have your top hat on too tight, because it seems dripping irony is yet another thing Englanders like to claim as their own that another civilization created. (And you succeed, I'll admit.)

Sorry, man. I'm not going to bow down and apologize for my birthplace just because you wounded lions still think we somehow care enough to defy you because your ancestors had a tenuous hold on us a century or two ago. It just feeds the unhealthy complex you guys seem to have. I have no problem with you guys being a shell of an empire with your claws clutching for dear life at the closest island you have left, but I think it's about time your bunch dropped the 'tude and joined the rest of the world.

Okey.....Next step is for you to find where I insulted your dating system, where I said that irony is something only English people are allowed to do, where I said I care whether or not the USA is a British colony, where I said I think Britain has an empire and where I said we engaged in some sort of ancestor worship.

I mean geez man, even the OP stated he was only curious. Granted, there was a couple of posters who displayed some anti-American attitudes, but do you really think that they represent an entire country? Just because you have demonstrated yourself to be ignorant does not mean I think all Americans are ignorant.

 

[PwnSt0nes]

They enjoy making things feel like their own. They do it with language too. Make minor changes so they can feel like they're not just copying a country most of them see as their own personal ***** nation.

How about 93% of american's population. doesnt even know we do things differenly?

So just don't talk about my country seeing as you DONT'T LIVE HERE!

do you think we would talk about your country like that? NO and if so. let it be known we dont know jack about other countries

 

[mr_rubino]

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

England isn't an island it's a country along with Scotland and Wales that make up the island of great britain which contains numerous small islands as well.

Japan is several thousand islands not just one. I'm not attacking you just letting you know

*sigh* Two isolated archipelagos. Better? They also both have an odd predilection towards calling undergarments "pants".

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

Actually driving on the left was how it was done originally. It was a system invented by the Romans and the whole of Europe was using it up until Napoleon decided that everyone should drive on the right. So really we're right, you're wrong, again.

Terribly intriguing, old chap, but you haven't clarified what else you're "right" about. Sticking unnatural letters into words and calling it classy certainly isn't "right". (Napoleon, eh? Sure was a looong time ago, wasn't it?)
God bless the Englanders. If they're not adding cosmetic changes to something and retroactively claiming it's correct, or losing half the world in one fell/prolonged swoop, they're keeping traditions the rest of the world gave up and claiming superiority for it. Must be nice to live in a little soap bubble while the rest of the world has to share borders with things.

Wtf? Did your girlfriend leave you for an English bloke or something? You seem to have a rather large chip on your soldier. I think it's cute that your perception of England is out of date by about 100 years but, you really shouldn't display your ignorance so openly.

Ah, sorry, governor. Allow me to do the more more acceptable thing:
Gaw! America! Those Yanks are their differences from us! What uneducated tobbyrot! *monocle*

Have you ever been to England?

Have you ever been to America?

I have actually, I spent a couple of weeks in NYC. I just find it ironic that in trying to beat the dead horse that is the British stereotype (and if I am honest, it is only the Americans that continue to beat that poor horse), you became the embodiment of the ignorant American stereotype.

Ah what a coincidence. I see you on a message board whining about American dating systems. I think you might have your top hat on too tight, because it seems dripping irony is yet another thing Englanders like to claim as their own that another civilization created. (And you succeed, I'll admit.)

Sorry, man. I'm not going to bow down and apologize for my birthplace just because you wounded lions still think we somehow care enough to defy you because your ancestors had a tenuous hold on us a century or two ago. It just feeds the unhealthy complex you guys seem to have. I have no problem with you guys being a shell of an empire with your claws clutching for dear life at the closest island you have left, but I think it's about time your bunch dropped the 'tude and joined the rest of the world.

Okey.....Next step is for you to find where I insulted your dating system, where I said that irony is something only English people are allowed to do, where I said I care whether or not the USA is a British colony, where I said I think Britain has an empire and where I said we engaged in some sort of ancestor worship.

I mean geez man, even the OP stated he was only curious. Granted, there was a couple of posters who displayed some anti-American attitudes, but do you really think that they represent an entire country? Just because you have demonstrated yourself to be ignorant does not mean I think all Americans are ignorant.

So basically you say you had no interest in adding anything relevant to this thread? Ah, so you just saw some America-bashing and wanted to get in on it. Gotcha. Honestly now... like I said, drop the "poor us against the savage world" act. Just because you don't have a monocle to drop or a teacup to drop it in doesn't mean the average Ingle has changed in the last few centuries; all this belly-aching over Americans' garish misuse of your language and customs because one dude was "curious" (Sure) shows the ol' British lack of adaptability and superiority complex in full swing.

EDIT: Mind you, when it was explained multiple times that American dating made... actual sense for filing and record-keeping purposes, you gents continued playing Tevye and just screaming "Traditiooooooooon!"

 

[Hyper-space]

Maybe it's to bring it in line with (what might be) the most common way Americans say it. "Today is January first, of two thousand eleven."

Maybe the government considers the month more important than the day on their documents (maybe for organizational and cataloging purposes), so they format it like that.

Honestly, I don't know.

Maybe it was because the first shipping manifest or whatever, used to focus on the month more instead of the day.

Dunno myself. Maybe they wanted to be different than the british empire?

 

[TheTaco007]

America is the angsty teenager of the countries. "We're gonna be DIFFERENT! We don't WANNA use the metric system!"It doesn't make sense at all, but that's life.

 

[Lethos]

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

England isn't an island it's a country along with Scotland and Wales that make up the island of great britain which contains numerous small islands as well.

Japan is several thousand islands not just one. I'm not attacking you just letting you know

*sigh* Two isolated archipelagos. Better? They also both have an odd predilection towards calling undergarments "pants".

We just do. And to send it right back at ya, why do all of you Europeans and Asians drive on the left side of the road, huh? That's so silly.

Nah, just England and Japan. Two isolated islands. =P

Actually driving on the left was how it was done originally. It was a system invented by the Romans and the whole of Europe was using it up until Napoleon decided that everyone should drive on the right. So really we're right, you're wrong, again.

Terribly intriguing, old chap, but you haven't clarified what else you're "right" about. Sticking unnatural letters into words and calling it classy certainly isn't "right". (Napoleon, eh? Sure was a looong time ago, wasn't it?)
God bless the Englanders. If they're not adding cosmetic changes to something and retroactively claiming it's correct, or losing half the world in one fell/prolonged swoop, they're keeping traditions the rest of the world gave up and claiming superiority for it. Must be nice to live in a little soap bubble while the rest of the world has to share borders with things.

Wtf? Did your girlfriend leave you for an English bloke or something? You seem to have a rather large chip on your soldier. I think it's cute that your perception of England is out of date by about 100 years but, you really shouldn't display your ignorance so openly.

Ah, sorry, governor. Allow me to do the more more acceptable thing:
Gaw! America! Those Yanks are their differences from us! What uneducated tobbyrot! *monocle*

Have you ever been to England?

Have you ever been to America?

I have actually, I spent a couple of weeks in NYC. I just find it ironic that in trying to beat the dead horse that is the British stereotype (and if I am honest, it is only the Americans that continue to beat that poor horse), you became the embodiment of the ignorant American stereotype.

Ah what a coincidence. I see you on a message board whining about American dating systems. I think you might have your top hat on too tight, because it seems dripping irony is yet another thing Englanders like to claim as their own that another civilization created. (And you succeed, I'll admit.)

Sorry, man. I'm not going to bow down and apologize for my birthplace just because you wounded lions still think we somehow care enough to defy you because your ancestors had a tenuous hold on us a century or two ago. It just feeds the unhealthy complex you guys seem to have. I have no problem with you guys being a shell of an empire with your claws clutching for dear life at the closest island you have left, but I think it's about time your bunch dropped the 'tude and joined the rest of the world.

Okey.....Next step is for you to find where I insulted your dating system, where I said that irony is something only English people are allowed to do, where I said I care whether or not the USA is a British colony, where I said I think Britain has an empire and where I said we engaged in some sort of ancestor worship.

I mean geez man, even the OP stated he was only curious. Granted, there was a couple of posters who displayed some anti-American attitudes, but do you really think that they represent an entire country? Just because you have demonstrated yourself to be ignorant does not mean I think all Americans are ignorant.

So basically you say you had no interest in adding anything relevant to this thread? Ah, so you just saw some America-bashing and wanted to get in on it. Gotcha. Honestly now... like I said, drop the "poor us against the savage world" act. Just because you don't have a monocle to drop or a teacup to drop it in doesn't mean the average Ingle has changed any in the last few centuries; all this belly-aching over Americans' garish misuse of your language and customs shows the ol' British lack of adaptability and superiority complex in full swing.

Okey...Now your next step...again, is to find where I bashed Americans. I saw you bashing English people and stepped in.

You do seem to have this habit of making up scenarios in your head....

 

[paragon1]

Because any other arrangement would make pi day impossible?

I agree. It's impossible to calculate the importance of that special day.

OT: I love how some people in this thread seem to think that Americans as a nation give even the smallest shit about what the rest of the world thinks.

 

[Dectomax]

considering we broke away from Britain hundreds of years ago.

199 years ago...just thought I'd add that in.

OT: I have no idea? As stated before, the Americans just like to feel special I suppose. Maybe we could exchange the date for a constant stream of cookies?