Comment on Military Time vs 24hr?
NemoWuMing@lemmy.world 8 months ago
In the US, the 12-hour clock format is in widespread use, except in the military. That is why it’s called like that.
Comment on Military Time vs 24hr?
NemoWuMing@lemmy.world 8 months ago
In the US, the 12-hour clock format is in widespread use, except in the military. That is why it’s called like that.
governorkeagan@lemdro.id 8 months ago
It’s interesting that it’s not as widespread amongst the public.As far as I know, the rest of the world either uses it or is able to understand it whereas I’ve had the opposite with Americans. I’m a very limited sample size though.
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Americans understand it just fine.
Just like I understand what a meter is, but in real life, I would NEVER use the meter as a unit of measurement.
Yeah, I know metric is the better system, I agree. This isn’t about that. It’s about saying something and not making the listener take a moment to convert it into how they relate to the world.
UrPartnerInCrime@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Americans do not understand it just fine. I’ve had my phone on 24h time for years and the amount of fellow Americans who are completely baffled by it baffles my.
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I’d say that’s probably more because they are morons and not because they are American.
QubaXR@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Look up the “theory of American exceptionalism”. In short there is a very strong belief here that America is one of a kind and things that may work for others simply don’t apply here.
Explains why the US stocks a 12hr clock, messed up month/day/year mission, imperial measurement and a ton of other things that any foreigner will find anywhere from quirky to infuriating.
IMHO the exceptionalism theory is a b.s. lazy way of keeping things conservative and unchanged and shutting down any discussion of uncomfortable progress.
Blamemeta@lemm.ee 8 months ago
“American Exceptionalism” also known as “Europeans are obsessed with America and can’t understand why American’s don’t follow their orders, meanwhile the Danes count like Barbarians and the UK hasn’t picked a system”
lepthesr@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I could give a shit about following orders, it’s a lot easier dealing with international business/trade/politics.
If everyone is on the same page, things are easier. I like the metric system. I’m a mechanic and my life is often hell because of the differences.
DrQuint@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Ah yes, the two halves of the world, America and Europe.
Turun@feddit.de 8 months ago
You can make a “I hate you so much” “I don’t think about you at all” meme out of it if you want, but the fact is that American media, most notably Hollywood has an immense cultural impact in the western world. People are often confronted with the weird system that Americans use, but not the other way round, let alone come across something like the danish numbering system. It’s less obsession and more unpleasant regular occurances that lead to such strong opinions about the American system.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It’s not even imperial measurements - the US has its own customary units.
ricecake@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
There was a theory I read at one point, that for the life of me I can’t remember the name of, that basically described a generalized form of exceptionalism, but for different categories.
Basically, the “most something” countries in any particular category are going to have exceptional circumstances that make what other countries do not always apply.
India, having the largest population, faces demographic problems that solutions that work in the Netherlands just can’t address.
Same with Russian transportation infrastructure, and ultimately American economic issues.
governorkeagan@lemdro.id 8 months ago
Thank you for sharing that! I’ll have a look into it.
ShadowCatEXE@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It’s standard in Canada as well. I prefer 24hr personally. There were a couple times where I’ve napped in the evening, and woke up thinking I was late for work in the morning. Not fun. 24hr clock solves that. Plus it just makes more sense to me than 12hr clocks.
CleoTheWizard@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I have no strong opinion but I’ll give some reasons that people don’t often consider.
Analog clocks are often easier to understand visually for people. A typical person will be awake for 16ish hours of the day. Which means that when looking at an analog 12 hour clock, you can easily see where you’re at in your day. That is both harder to do on an analog 24 hour clock and it also doesn’t make sense because you won’t really ever see 1/3rd of the clock get used. Military is forced to use it because the time is all digits which makes confusion less possible and displaying it easier.
When talking about the digital version, again, it reflects how humans experience time easier. Again consider using a clock in which you will not typically see or use a third of the numbers for anything. Why do that?
I think a lot of what bugs us about these two systems is the zero points. If I could redo it, I’d put 12am to line up and make 6am noon. Then 6pm is now evening/night.
I suggest that because the current 12hr systems are set up to benefit capitalism. It’s meant to make you forget how long you’re working in the US. And telling people that waking up at 5am to do stuff is morning is also stupid. It’s still night time at that time and our clocks don’t reflect that at all.
Scrof@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
I’ve never even seen a digital clock that’s not 24h. I actually can’t see at all why it would be easier to see where you’re at in the day with the 12h AM/PM lol. Definitely an American thing.
Maven@lemmy.sdf.org 8 months ago
It’s definitely not standard in Canada. I wish it was. Every time I buy something, I have to figure out how to swap it to 24h mode.
ShadowCatEXE@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Sorry, I meant 12hr is standard (agreeing with Nemo’s original comment).
cecilkorik@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
It’s veeeeery not standard in Canada. I use it on my phone and most people who see it on the lockscreen treat me like I’m an alien, and it’s about a 50/50 mix of people who simply think 24 hour time is weird (but at least recognize it) vs. people who seem genuinely baffled by the digits they see appearing on my phone and don’t even seem to recognize it as a time at all.
raptir@lemdro.id 8 months ago
I live in the US and I’ve never met someone who isn’t able to understand it. They might need to convert it in their heads to compare it with other times.
agent_flounder@lemmy.world 8 months ago
You’d think 24 hour watches would be more common than they are especially among European watches.
My kid had the hardest time reading a 12 hour clock. I think am/pm is too abstract for young kids. 24 hour makes more intuitive sense. The number resets only at the end of the day.
someguy3@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
We don’t use it in Canada, expect military or hospital records.
Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Quebec would like to have a word with you.
Then again they also have some opinions on that whole ‘Canada’ thing too.
PlexSheep@feddit.de 8 months ago
As far as I know the Japanese use it aswell. I learned 午後 and 午前 as vocab at least. (Am and pm)
someguy3@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
We don’t use it in Canada, expect military or hospital records.
BarrelAgedBoredom@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Adding on to that most civilians are only exposed to 24 hr time in a field that was either organizationally based off of the military such as police or emergency medicine or in fields where it’s important to have precise time keeping like hospitals