Very nice, @mattbrowne. And of course there is always the segment that takes the view that the sun does not “rise” at all.
Beyond those, we have the ignorant.
I am reminded of a session in the dentist’s chair late one November afternoon. As she began to work, the young hygienist remarked to me, “Getting dark early.”
I replied conversationally “Yes, it’s that time of year—always hard to wait until December 21st.” She asked me what I meant. And I answered, assuming that I was merely reminding her of things she already knew, “Well, you know, we’re heading for the winter solstice, and after that the days get longer—until June 21st, that is. Then the cycle starts again.” Something to that effect.
There was a long, meditative pause while she poked or scraped or whatever she was doing. And then she said, “Wow, you really pay a lot of attention to the weather.”
You see? All it takes is one of those and you lose your bet. And out of nearly 7 billion, you know there’s going to be one. @simone54, take note.