First off, no, it's not today that you have to change your clocks. This year, we "Fall Back" at 2 AM on Sunday, November 1st. Secondly, I'd like to take issue with a whole society adjusting its schedule twice a year. I've always found it a huge inconvenience and a misery each time we find ourselves with darkness encroaching that much earlier in the evening, just when it's getting colder and more bitter outside anyway. I say, if we're going to have it, why not have it all year round?Here's a little history on Daylight Savings Time. It was originally conceived of by Benjamin Franklin, but not put into practice here in the U.S. until 1916. Basically, it was implemented to "make best use of daylight." Some studies say that it saves a significant amount of energy. Most people, chicken farmers notwithstanding, seem to like it. So my question is, why do we only do it in the summer?
Also, I'd like to point out that studies have shown that pedestrian fatalities due to traffic accidents increase significantly every fall around the time DST stops being in effect. Trick-or-treaters are often mowed down by cars at dusk because of drivers who have not yet become accustomed to navigating the earlier darkness, which is why the clock change has been moved back one week recently, to avoid the holiday.
So how about moving the reversion to Standard Time back to, say... never?
I take issue with my very biological clock being monkeyed with so casually.
I can get behind messing with Standard Time (sun at zenith at noon) once a year, if it's really a national good, saves energy, helps people out, saves lives. But to yank that cushy rug out from under us at the dreariest time of year? At some point, shouldn't popular will determine our very daily schedules?
On the level of a society making a decision that benefits some at the expense of others, cannot we put this to a vote again? It seems unethical that, in a democracy, our schedules are ruled by the whims of an outdated and, some might argue, ill-conceived system. Could not we request a more thorough study to determine whether it really saves us money? (Though, probably such a study would cost stupid amounts of money itself....)
However, my research shows this HAS been voted on, about 60 zillion times in the past 93 years, and apparently, what we have today is about the best our government can do. So, seems we're stuck with the system we have. Meaning, the government gets to tell us when it's time to get S.A.D. (I jest.)
Before you say, "Oh, just get up earlier, you whiner," explain to me how I can make my job's hours accommodate that, and all the shopkeepers, government offices, customer service help lines, and TV, and... you get the idea.
What I'm saying here is, I personally feel the institution of a law giving and taking my precious sunlight away feels onerous, and I don't see how the benefit to society outweighs the burden to the majority of us.
Do you hate Daylight Saving Time? Do you love it? Do you feel legislating time is unethical?
P.S. - While you're changing your clocks, I suppose it's not a bad idea to change the battery in your smoke detector like they say. At least that's one good suggestion!
Subscribe to receive updates from Everyday Ethics or follow us on Twitter!
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
I HATE standard time! It takes me a good week to get adjusted and I just plain hate not having more daylight at the end of the day. I thought of doing my own boycott of standard time but when I figured out the logistics of it, it is nearly impossible to do. We would need to do it as a country to for it to work. The question is, who do we go to to get Daylight Savings Time to be the new Standard time year round?
I absolutely HATE standard time with a passion. It makes no sense to have the sun setting at 4:30. As a young lady who works till 6pm I absolutely hate having to walk to my car alone in the dark in Midtown Atlanta. I wish I could find statistics on the number of rapes and muggings that happen during standard time. I'm sure there is an increase.
I truly don't feel safe having to leave at 6pm in the dark, often having to go shopping after work when I'm alone. I am for leaving DST year round. Winter is the most miserable season, at least make it a little more tolerable by not having daylight end so soon.
I think most people like to have sunshine later in the day when they get out of work. The commute goes faster. Daylight helps reduce energy costs. People feel better. It encourages people to go out more, to shop, to eat out, which is good for the economy. Most crime occurs at night, not during the morning. The more sunlight later in the day; less opportunity for crime.
Most farms today are totally automated; they don't need any light! Why let the few remaining roosters push us around? Daylight is your right!
I'm putting together a website to gather political support to change the clocks to give us more sunshine (not less like we have now). If it's dark in the morning, who cares? You will be at work, or school! We want daylight! It's your right! Who will join us?
The problem with having Daylight Savings through the winter, and I've thought about this before as well, is that it would get light too late in the morning at higher latitudes.
I live in Vancouver, Canada (right on the Canada/US border). As it is in December and January sunrise isn't until 8am, with sunset just after 4. Moving to daylight savings would mean it would be dark until 9am. Can you really have kids walking to school in the dark?
When Day light Savings starts i don't really find any difficulty, i in fact enjoy that time period. I really feel as if Day light savings remains the same for whole year so that we can enjoy for whole of the year. It fun at that time.
r4i
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.