In the past six years, 19 states have made efforts to move to year-round daylight saving time. So what’s in the way?

  • derf82@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I know some think permanent standard time is best. But I respectfully disagree, for several reasons.

    First, the argument for standard time is that we need the light in the morning to wake up. And, sure, that would be great. But with standard time, most people are already getting up in the dark. Sunrise only moves to 7am or later around here. A lot of people are already up earlier to get kids on buses (my bus went at 6:45) and to work starting between 7 and 8.

    Meanwhile, look at what happens to evening light. Sunsets will go from 6 to 5, and many will travel home in the dark, or simply have no light when the get home, with hours to go before sleep.

    The fact is, winter just doesn’t have enough light to go around. So we have to pick our poison. I’d rather get home with some light.

    Second, no one considers what would happen in the summer. Here, sunrise would come at 5 am, too early and disruptive to sleep. If light would wake us up better in the winter, than it would wake us up too soon in the summer.

    Third, people say we tried it in the 70s and everyone hated it. But when it happened, we didn’t just stay on daylight savings, we switched in the fall, and then back in January, an abrupt change in the darkest time of the year rather than the gradual change it should have been since fall.

    And even then, many people lived it. There were people that didn’t, sure, but it is wrong to say it was universally hated.

    But make we just need to compromise. Move the clocks 30 minutes and be done with it.

    • Turun@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      The question is basically: do you want school and work to start earlier or later?

      • Overzeetop@sopuli.xyz
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        1 year ago

        Why change the time for everyone when you can just adjust “working” hours. People who do shift work or work retail and other non- white-collar jobs are collateral damage. Roofers and farmers change their start and stop times baes on light and heat conditions.

        Just start at a different time. Time is based (roughly) on the global position from a reference mark. Stop fucking with it.

      • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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        1 year ago

        This only works if everyone in the country starts and stops work/school at the exact same time which isn’t possible.

        • ExFed@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Local businesses and governments already shift their hours to be open when people are awake and available regardless of whatever arbitrary thing the clock says…

          If DST and Standard Time are functionally equivalent for all intents and purposes, why not just stick with the simpler one?

    • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      But make we just need to compromise. Move the clocks 30 minutes and be done with it.

      I was with you until this. But that’s because I’m a programmer and time stuff is hard enough before you start using minutes instead of hours.

      I think putting the sun’s zenith at 1pm would be better year round. Even with that my kids still wake up before dawn starting in October, and I’d rather have daylight when I’m awake.

      • derf82@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I’m sure it’s already figured out. India is already 30 minutes off the rest of the world.

        But I was mostly joking. Because I want the madness to end.

        But I totally agree. 1 pm is mush more the meridian of most people’s day how we typically actually live.