# Bus Driver: Sorry, I Don't Understand MilitaryTime **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 18, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496 "2007-01-18T19:52:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/1 "2007-01-18T19:52:14Z")
So, it’s icy in Portland and I couldn’t get my car up the hill and took the bus with Mrs Blather. When we are coming home we show a transfer to the bus driver and she says: “Sorry, I don’t know if this is good or not. It says 21:04, I don’t understand military time”. Granted, the transfer was from a street car which is a separate entity from Tri Met (the bus service) but they accept each other’s transfers. How hard is it to subract 12 from 21:04? How stupid does one have to be to not understand this? Our son could have done this when he was 7. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/2 "2007-01-18T19:53:59Z")
Maybe she didn’t understand whether it was 21:04 AM or 21:04 PM. ---
**Author:** ![Hogwash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e57/32.png) [@Hogwash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogwash)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/3 "2007-01-18T19:58:55Z")
The fucking commie pinko metric time must be confusing him. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/4 "2007-01-18T20:09:29Z")
That’s what you get for living in Portland. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/5 "2007-01-18T20:16:27Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] Maybe she didn’t understand whether it was 21:04 AM or 21:04 PM. [/QUOTE] Duh. 21:04 AM in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/6 "2007-01-18T20:19:26Z")
That’s sad. It’s not like you need calculus to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/7 "2007-01-18T20:25:44Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] How hard is it to subract 12 from 21:04? How stupid does one have to be to not understand this? [/QUOTE] I get 20:52. What do I win? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/8 "2007-01-18T20:26:36Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] That’s what you get for living in Portland. [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure she just moved here from CA. You can tell the transplants: they keep trying to pump their own gas and they ask how much things cost “with tax”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/9 "2007-01-18T20:41:32Z")
Maybe she went metric a few years back? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/10 "2007-01-18T21:20:03Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] Maybe she didn’t understand whether it was 21:04 AM or 21:04 PM. [/QUOTE] That one always gets me. [QUOTE=Hogwash] The fucking commie pinko metric time must be confusing him. [/QUOTE] Not to get all pedantic on you, but a 24-hour clock isn’t “metric time”. [Metric time](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_time) (in computing, anyway) is measured in strict multiples of seconds from some arbitrary starting point (in Unix, 01 January 1970). Personally, I think [Hex Time](http://www.intuitor.com/hex/hexclock.html) is a nice workable system, but then people have to learn to count from 0 to F, and most people seem to have problems just switching hands. I’m always astonished at the basic knowledge that people lack, but I guess I should give up being surprised and resign myself to being the smartest human being on the planet. Well, second smartest, of course. Maybe third. I’ll give that \*\*\*\*\* Marilyn a run for her money, though. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/11 "2007-01-18T21:33:47Z")
Oh, boy. 24 hour time doesn’t come naturally to most of us who don’t work in it every day, but it ain’t that hard to figure out. She sounds like one of my least favourite types of people, the wilfully ignorant - those who know they don’t know things, and are proud of it. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/12 "2007-01-18T21:37:36Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] So, it’s icy in Portland and I couldn’t get my car up the hill and took the bus with Mrs Blather. When we are coming home we show a transfer to the bus driver and she says: "Sorry, I don’t know if this is good or not. It says 21:04.. [/QUOTE] Did her inability to tell time interfere with your travels, though? Were you actually refused?? I imagine I would have tried awfully hard not to laugh and tell her to call the cops. ---
**Author:** ![Hogwash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e57/32.png) [@Hogwash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogwash)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/13 "2007-01-18T21:38:51Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] Not to get all pedantic on you, but a 24-hour clock isn’t “metric time”. [/QUOTE] I know that the fucking 24hr clock isn’t metric time. I’ve known that since October 43rd. Perhaps I need to construct my sarcastic off-the-cuff remarks with greater forethought in future. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/14 "2007-01-18T21:42:40Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] How hard is it to subract 12 from 21:04? How stupid does one have to be to not understand this? [/QUOTE] It’s not hard to do if you know that’s all that has to be done. Some people are simply not familiar with the 24 hour clock concept. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/15 "2007-01-18T21:49:06Z")
I have a 24 hour clock on my wall at home. You should see people’s brain’s skip when they look at it. I think it’s easier to tell time with. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/16 "2007-01-18T21:57:06Z")
Prepare a card, and the next time you hear this, hand it to the person: **IF H\>12 THEN H=H-12** (Helps pick up chicks, too!) ---
**Author:** ![Hogwash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e57/32.png) [@Hogwash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogwash)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/17 "2007-01-18T21:57:24Z")
If you really want to screw with people using time-telling devices, get one of [these bad boys](http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/lights/59e0/). ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/18 "2007-01-18T22:03:54Z")
[QUOTE=Hogwash] I know that the fucking 24hr clock isn’t metric time. I’ve known that since October 43rd. Perhaps I need to construct my sarcastic off-the-cuff remarks with greater forethought in future. [/QUOTE] You do realize there are only 31 days in October, right? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/19 "2007-01-18T22:08:13Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] I’m pretty sure she just moved here from CA. You can tell the transplants: they keep trying to pump their own gas and they ask how much things cost “with tax”. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Do they also ask when the rain is going to stop? Sales tax is so high here, I just ad 10% and that’s close enough. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496/20 "2007-01-18T22:15:04Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] It’s not hard to do if you know that’s all that has to be done. Some people are simply not familiar with the 24 hour clock concept. [/QUOTE] But they manage to get jobs working in transport? And don’t figure it out on the job? And aren’t embarassed by the fact when confronted with their inabilities in their job? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-driver-sorry-i-dont-understand-militarytime/388496.md?page=2)