I’m not the main person in charge, but every now and then I help out with our school’s a cappella group. When the person who is in charge announced the other week that we would be having an additional rehearsal at 6:30, most people understood that meant 6:30 PM (since the performance was in the evening also), but one student was a bit sheepish about protesting, “Okay. I’m not really sure if I can get here that early, since I’m used to getting here at 8:00.” We had to clarify for him that the rehearsal was 6:30 PM, not 6:30 AM.
This is one of the reasons I’ve always been a big fan of military time, ever since I was a child even. I would get digital watches and the first thing I’d do is set them to military time. Yes, in everyday American life, people usually understand if you’re talking about AM or PM. If they say they’ll meet you at 2:00 to go shopping, it’s generally understood to be 2:00 PM, not 2:00 AM. If they say they’ll pick you up at 9:15 for breakfast, it’s generally understood to be 9:15 AM, not 9:15 PM. But there are confusing times, and I think this whole AM/PM business is a little annoying.
How difficult is it to just go from 0:00 to 23:59? If you say practice is at 18:30, no one can be confused about when to be there. Well, I’ve lived in America for over three decades, and I think I’m fighting a losing battle. Of course, I also think daylight saving time is ridiculous.
I’m a fan of military time, too. :) And in my country, there is no daylight savings time.
You may not believe it, but there are even parts of the US that do not have daylight saving time (or “daylight losing time,” as I like to call it).