Left behind in a Right-handed World

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(Edited)

Many many moons ago, being left-handed was seen as a curse, some even believed that the devil was left-handed...heaven forbid as I am a leftie!!!

Back then, meaning a long time ago, children were forced to learn to write with their right hand. If they dared forget and used their left hand, they'd be rapped on the knuckles as they HAD to use their wrong right hand!

Only 10-12% of the world's population is left-handed, so of course, everything has been designed for the majority.

Come to think of it, I should start a movement for the Rights of Left-handers as there's clear discrimination against us lefties😉

I would say that we do have the advantage of being more adaptable than our right-handed counterparts having to improvise from a young age, as most implements are designed for right-handers!

Watching the new Prince of Wales signing a document with the proclamation of King Charles 111 is a clear example of the awkward angle most lefties have to hold their hands to actually see what they're writing.
Funnily I don't do that, but when I started working as a draughtswoman yonks ago, we used pens with different coloured ink, wet ink I mean! So...when it came to writing with those pens, I was forced to hold my hand at that weird angle to prevent smudging! I also needed a steady hand as I could not lean on the base of my palm when writing!

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Photo of left hand by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash used for cover image

I'm faced with much frustration in the kitchen- trying to keep cutlery and cooking implements facing the right way in my drawers is an impossible task - I place the handles facing the right way for my left hand, but the rest of the household put it in the wrong way!

Those right-handers cannot grasp the fact that they're making the life of the head cook/chef/baker and waitress very difficult!

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Have you considered the difficulty a left-hander faces when serving soup or gravy with a spout facing the wrong way?
I quietly gave away a right-handed gravy ladle that was a gift and replaced it with the one in my cover image, which I would say is more politically correct, as it doesn't discriminate against left or right-handers😉

Another culprit is the manual can opener - designed for right-handers, so I always call whoever is in the home to do that job as opening a can becomes torture for me!

Scissors - another nasty little implement making the life of a left-hander difficult, as the blade covers the cutting line! I however have fine-tuned that art over the years.

Have you ever tried teaching a left-hander to knit?
My domestic science teacher was very determined to get me knitting at school and I still remember the awkward positions she had to get into while trying to show me; the poor woman was more confused than I was in the end!
I eventually got it right thanks to her patience but never became a knitter.

Have you thought about the struggle to sign the right-hand page of a fat register book with a left hand or a book with a spiral binding? A real pain in the butt!

Where is the PC keyboard number pad? On the right-hand side of course!

Funnily I use the mouse with my right hand though, it simply doesn't feel right when I put it on the left side.

Next time you zip up your jeans, check which way the flap is facing, right in the way of a left-hander!

Credit card machines are a real pain for a lefty, try doing that with your left hand and you'll see what I mean!

I was quite amused reading Left-handed Facts and Folklore, where I learned of some really quirky beliefs! There is a Left-hander club in the UK, a town called Left Hand in West Virginia, and if I were to go to Pennsylvania I could possibly benefit from a scholarship for left-handers; oh, and another quirky belief is that polar bears are left-handed, so maybe I'd feel more at home in Polar-bear Land 😅

As the last word, am I right in thinking my fellow Hive left-handers agree that we're being left behind in this world designed for right-handers😉


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31 comments
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I grew up in a home with a lefty - my sister. The Husband was probably a lefty - he was "encouraged" to use his right hand. He's very ambidextrous with certain things. My aunt, on the other hand, was actively discouraged from using her left hand. Consequently, I'm usually pretty aware of this.

BTW, my mother taught my sister to knit by sitting opposite her. Mirrors...

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Hi Fiona, I heard of the mirror trick much later, and the teacher either had not heard of it or could not take me to the ablutions for a lesson LOL ;)
I was too impatient to knit, tried knitting a baby jersey for my first son, but never completed it! So out of guilt, I knitted (or rather tried knitting) a jersey for him when he started school, but I could not get the tension right, so it ended up way too large. Like a good Mommy, I went out and bought more wool, but the second attempt ended up way too small, and so my knitting career ended!
Clothes hangers are another irritation in the laundry, they all hang haphazardly, just like the cutlery drawer!
I'm sure you're familiar with all those irritations :)

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If they dared forget and used their left hand, they'd be rapped on the knuckles as they HAD to use their wrong right hand!

Rapped on the knuckles? If only as my left hand was tied behind me back with a rope. As a result I grew up in a confused state as my left hand still thinks it's my right hand and right hand was also turned into my right hand, but sometimes it still thinks that it is my left hand.

I am ambidextrous, my eldest daughter is right-handed, my son is also ambidextrous, and my youngest daughter is left-handed. Talk about a confusing situation Hahaha.

Have some !PIZZA and a good day!

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Oh my hat, now that comment has totally befuddled my already confused mind! So you started out as a leftie, am I right? Being ambidextrous actually is a big advantage especially when having to do things in tight spaces with the wrong hand!
I'm going to sit down to try & work out your puzzle of who is left, right or ambidextrous & who actually is writing with the right hand!
I enjoyed this comment @papilloncharity, thanks for the pizza😉

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Hahaha, then you know how befuddled my mind gets Lady Lizzie.
My left hand interferes with the work that my right hand is doing and the right hand gets him back by hiding things from him. So I walk around searching for the car keys that my left hand normally puts in my left pocket, but in the meantime my right hand has put the keys in my right hand back pocket.

Ambidextry is a bonus as when the right hand gets tired by doing a repetitive task, then I switch to the left hand. My son can also score in football with both feet and he was in high demand during his school days.
So if you solve the puzzle, please also let me know 😊

My pleasure and here is another one !PIZZA

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Schools never taught nor assisted left handed children, right handed it was to be! Adapt as you go, I doubt many give thought to the fact about watches, writing or much else when right handed was the only medium being taught.

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Yep, we really were/are left-out, I mean who wants to manufacturer implements for only 10% of the population? Anyway, it's adapt or die not so Joan 😉

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Surely some difficulties I was unaware of here. Interesting Lizelle

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(Edited)

Yep @leelektrik, there's a ton of things people don't realize until you meet a leftie😉

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If they dared forget and used their left hand, they'd be rapped on the knuckles as they HAD to use their wrong right hand

How bad.....! As Muslims, We have been taught the importance of doing things with right hand but I never saw anyone being rapped for writing with left hand. However, we are forced to eat with right hand and use the left hand for toilet purposes.

would say that we do have the advantage of being more adaptable than our right-handed counterparts

That's the truth. I once saw my left handed cousin eating (with right hand) and writing ( with left) simultaneously. Saves time

I also needed a steady hand as I could not lean on the base of my palm when writing!

The struggle of left handedness. I think if you were to write my language you wouldn't face the issue because it goes from right to left.

quirky belief is that polar bears are left-handed, so maybe I'd feel more at home in Polar-bear Land

Funny....!

I never thought that a left hand person would face these many difficulties. Hats off to you, my leftie ma'am. 🙂

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I can see the logic of the toilet issue😉 Your cousin must be brilliant to do two things at the same time so clearly has an advantage! Thank you for the interesting response @amberkashif 🤗

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I can see the logic of the toilet issue

Hehe. Actually, these are our religious guidance. DON'T USE THE LEFT HAND FOR EATING, DON'T USE THE RIGHT HAND FOR TOILET PURPOSES. For rest of the things, there are no restrictions or obligations

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This could be my mom (left hand) writing! She was a teacher and used to specialize in teaching lefties to right properly - AS A LEFT HANDER! I also noticed the Prince signing with that awkward scrawl. Shame. My cousin is a leftie but was taught to write by my mom so she writes beautifully and naturally. As opposed to uncomfortable.

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Good on your Mom, we need more teachers who take the time to help those of us who are different, I'm sure it's not good for their wrist joints.
The only time I had an issue, was when draughting with wet ink pens, but I still didn't use that funny angle!
It became much easier when we started using CAD, yep I'm giving my age away😅

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Shhhhhhh....your secret is safe with me. And the thousands on hive who may decide to read your comments

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Waaait....you mean there's actually people out there who use the mouse with their left? That sounds impossible. As a leftie myself, I so relate to so much of this. In my country, they used to tie the left-hand behind the child's back to "make him write correctly". I had a very old geography teacher who'd caught those times, and always threatened to do the same to me (only kidding, though...I hope!).

I mean sure, there are a lot of difficulties, as you've said, but I also think it's really badass to be left-handed. Like so few people are, makes you kinda special :D

I always get queasy when I watch right-handed people writing, it's like something in my brain goes off yelling that's wrong. Do you get that?

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Hi @honeydue, I totally get it, and then they look at us as if we're a species of another kind! I just love that bit though, let them stare.
AND the best is when I bump into a fellow leftie, there's an immediate connection! I'm not surprised that's what I felt from the very first time I met you through our dear friend @ericvancewalton.
That tying of the left hand was so cruel, I heard about it happening here as well.
Yep, a guy I worked with who is left-handed, uses the mouse on his left side, I tried but it simply doesn't feel right!
Something quite odd is that my 3 blue-eyed brothers were all right-handers yet my one brother & I, both with brown eyes, are lefties!
I agree that we are special, can you just imagine all the right-handers managing like we've had to?!
It's lovely seeing you again @honeydue, I've been getting stuck in the Silver Bloggers so have missed many of my young old friends' posts. I hope you're doing well and look forward to catching up more often with you.

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Ha! Maybe you're right, 'cause I always liked interacting with you too @lizelle.

Yep, a guy I worked with who is left-handed, uses the mouse on his left side, I tried but it simply doesn't feel right!

It's really weird, though, how some things we have to do with our left, if we're lefties (like, I just can't write or eat with my right hand), but others we can learn as if we were right-handed. Like the mouse thing. I dabbled in guitar playing a while back, always played like a right-handed person would. It's so weird and exciting how the brain works.

Something quite odd is that my 3 blue-eyed brothers were all right-handers yet my one brother & I, both with brown eyes, are lefties!

That is an odd "coincidence" indeed. I'm brown-eyed, too. Huh. Maybe it's in the eyes.

No worries! I've been following along with everyone where I can. Yeah, I'm pretty good, and I'm glad to see you're doing alright, as well.

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You might as well start a revolution, there's one going on for everything else ! LOL

As for the cutlery, my holders are in the drawer where the pieces lay flat in them vertically instead of horizontal. That way the handles are always at the bottom and work the same for right or left usage. That is not why they are like that, it is just the way my family always had theirs and the way the holders fit best in most of the drawers.

It was fun reading your leftist post. 😄

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I should start a Left-hander Revolution like you say Jacey, there's one for just about everything under the sun except us poor lefties 😅
My other cutlery holder is vertical so I don't have a problem there, but clothes hangers also become an irritant in my laundry where I have a vertical hanger, like this🙈

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I get it ! There are a lot of things we right-handers take for granted. Who KNEW there was such a challenge for the lefties ?!

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My boyfriend is left-handed and I've definitely seen how flexible he can be when times call for it.

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I was extremely surprised when I found out from your post that there were witch (left-hander) hunts in countries outside the communist blocs in the past, where being a left-hander was really tantamount to committing a great sin (original, congenital... it's the same.) I don't even know how I managed to get away with it in school (maybe because we were three left-handers in the class). But I still remember how my grandfather (a teacher) used to insist to my mother that something had to be done about "my problem" and that I should be forced to use my correct right hand. 😄

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My name is Denise and I am a left-hander.


That is what it felt like! My poor mother, Lizelle! @lizelle She had nine children and four of them were lefties!!! My mom was also a lefty. You would think it would have been easier, but, heck no. They still don't always accommodate left-handed people. Have you ever sat in tight seating and tried to eat next to a right-handed person? Keep your wings tucked in!

I had a right-handed person teach me to crochet. Even sewing was awkward. Everything you say is true and hilarious when I think of it. The scissors annoyed the heck out of me, so awkward being in Kindergarten and not being able to cut right. Believe it or not, there are still some that don't have enough left-handed or none to hand out.

I should be ashamed, I had two left-handed children. Of course, I always tell them how much easier it is now.

But really, is it?

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