Daylight saving time: Changing the clocks is terrible. That’s why we should refuse
This is silly. We should stop.
As of 2 a.m. local time Sunday, our annual fling with daylight saving time will end. You know the drill: like trained captives, we’ll all “fall back” one hour, discombobulated by our own body clocks and gaslit by the clocks on the wall.
Frankly, it’s going to be terrible and stupid, and pretty much everyone knows it. The clock switching, I mean. Debate the virtues of standard time versus daylight saving time all you want, but, objectively speaking, the twice-yearly exercise of tricking our brains into thinking it’s an hour later or earlier than it should be is one of society’s crueler inventions.
And yet, what choice do we have? We’ve done just about all that we can. We’ve complained about it on Facebook. We’ve developed hashtags. Like grownups, we’ve even elected leaders who’ve passed legislation that would #DitchTheSwitch, a lot of good that it’s accomplished.
Clearly, it’s time to get serious. Enough with the games. In a battle between good and evil, there can be only one victor.
Next time this happens — when they tell us it’s time to “spring forward” in March — let’s refuse.
OK, OK, hear me out. Yes, what I’m suggesting is a highly coordinated act of civil disobedience. In more practical terms, I’m just saying there are more of us than there are of them, and if we don’t change our clocks, what can they really do? The numbers are on our side, if we stick together. Sure, there will be some awkwardness and challenges and poorly attended Monday morning meetings, but anything that matters is worth fighting for. The key is achieving critical mass.
So how do we do it? The hurdle will be the squares: The rule-followers. The sticklers. Those who clench and squirm at the thought of bucking authority. We will need to recruit them, and nurture them, and make them feel safe over the next few months. If you know someone who’s been so brainwashed by Big Clock that you don’t think they’ll be able to follow through, start talking to them now. We’ll need every refuser we can get — not just the “time-is-a-construct” hippies at The Evergreen State College — and the stakes will be high.
We can’t sugarcoat that last part, either. Jobs, livelihoods and perfect attendance records will be on the line. There will be angry bosses, stark ramifications, disrupted breakfast economies, and possibly mass arrests. We should be honest about all of it. This campaign won’t be for the faint of heart. You can’t put a sign in your yard that says “In this house we respect all clocks” and call it good. It will take buy-in, commitment, and a willingness to sacrifice. It will take each and every one of us.
When times get dark in the coming months — and they will, mark my word — let’s remember what this fight is all about.
It’s about common sense. And decency. And healthy sleep patterns. And things that make sense.
It’s about time.
Changing the clock is over, if you want it to be.
