Discussions

Are You Left Handed?

Posted by TimMc • 7/17/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: in my right mind, left handed, lefties, unique

Okay, this is my first foray into starting a discussion. So, be nice. Haha.

I posted a short little blurb in my personal blog about the word gauche. The repercussions for those of us who are left handed are pretty obvious.

www.mcwriters.com/2008/07/15/the-etymology-of-gauche/

So, with that being said, I thought it would be fun to see what trials and tribulations fellow lefties have run into because of their "uniqueness."

Spiral notebooks come to mind. Also, going home after school everyday with ink smudges all over the side of my left hand from taking notes.

So, how about it? Let me know your thoughts on being left handed.

User Comments

7/17/08

AmyOops

nope. but my hubby and one child is

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  I have 4 children...none of them are left handed.
  I was hoping for at least one! Oh well...
7/17/08

crpitt

Be nice? hmmmmmmmmmmmm okay

My thoughts on left handed folk are that they are devious, like my younger sister who used it as an excuse to get out of chores.

I love etymology posts.

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Devious huh? Nah...just every once in awhile.
  
  I'd like to know how your sister used being left handed as an excuse to get out of her chores. I never thought of that one, haha.
2. 7/17/08
  
  crpitt
  
  Apparently you cant iron if your left handed and she also said that she got easily confused.
3. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Ironing? That was the best she could do? I'd have to say, I'm on your side with that one. Ironing is not just a right handed job, haha. That's funny.
4. 7/17/08
  
  crpitt
  
  Also it depended on what side things were plugged in, she could easily trip over cables therefore things were just to difficult for her.
  
  I soon helped her get over it though
5. 7/17/08
  
  aningeniousname
  
  That's right, the word sinister comes from the Latin word sinister meaning left.
7/17/08

DrowseyMonkey

My dad was left handed ... I don't remember him talking about it much, except when he had to use scissors. Then we'd all hear about how the world only makes things for right handed people, blah, blah, blah

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Haha Drowsey. I can sympathize with your father on the scissors issue. I've learned to compensate these days. However, when I was younger I felt like a complete dork when I had to use scissors!
2. 7/17/08
  
  LGramlich
  
  Don't forget manual can openers.
3. 8/13/08
  
  Viliam1234
  
  There are scissors (and other things) for left-handed people, so if you find some shop which sells them, it could be an interesting present.
7/17/08

dlowe

My 7 year old can't decide if he is left handed or right handed. My youngest and my wife and I are all rightys.

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  He wants to be left handed, he wants to be left handed, hehe...
2. 7/17/08
  
  dlowe
  
  LOL His drum teacher sure wishes he would make a decision.
3. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  I'm a drummer (started when I was in 5th grade). If he turns out to be left handed, it's an uphill battle with learning how to drum properly. It takes a lot of work.
  
  "I don't wanna work, I just wanna bang on a drum all day..."
7/17/08

GrayFoxDown

I plead guilty to involuntary left-handedness and, while I'm at it, to utterly incomprehensible (yet profoundly unique) penmanship.

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Until the 4th grade, I had hideous penmanship. Finally, I ended up with a teacher (Thank you Mrs. Atkins) who took the time to work with me and my penmanship improved dramatically.
7/17/08

Aprincess4ever83

I ammm!!!
I hated the notebook marks! haha. But other than that and the smudging I blame my inability to use chop sticks on my uniqueness lolol. Even though I'm left handed I still use my right hand when playing sports...weird. huh?

[reply]
7/17/08

searchingwithin

How about those stupid pads you have to sign now in many places and when you have to sign for a package?

[reply]
7/17/08

TimMc

I agree. Those electronic pads at stores where you have to sign the screen are irritating. Some of the pens (which are always mounted on the right side) will barely reach over enough for a left handed person to be able to use it!

With Mr. UPS man, I just scribble some nonsense. I think those pads are probably awkward for everyone.

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  LGramlich
  
  Same thing with the pens at the bank, too.
7/17/08

searchingwithin

Actually I am ambidextrous. I eat and write left-handed, and can only do those things with that hand. Some things I do right-handed, and can only do those things with that hand, and some things I can do almost equally well with either one. Apparently, at times I have both hands busy away working at the same time accomplishing separate tasks, which others have noticed and found amusing to watch, comment on, and bring to my attention.

[reply]
1. 7/24/08
  
  Anok
  
  Ha! me too!
7/17/08

TimMc

I'm pretty much a dedicated lefty. I do however shoot (firearms) right handed because I'm right eye dominate. I also play the guitar conventionally (right hand strum, left hand on the neck). As far as sports though, I'm completely left handed.

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7/17/08

GrayFoxDown

On the contrary, those electronic pads bring out the best in my signature!!! People could actually decipher the MICHAEL part amidst the scrawl. A strange thing mystifying.

[reply]
7/17/08

legbamel

I'm going to link to your post for my new topic, word tidbits. It surprises me that more people don't use that word. I've always thought it an effective insult. As a lefty, the clumsy definition fits perfectly. Not so much the others, though.

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Thanks legbamel. It is an underused word and as you said, a great insult.
2. 7/17/08
  
  legbamel
  
  My post is up. I completely forgot that I was going to post here that my hubby and right-handed son are far more coordinated than I. My little lefty is, as well, but nowhere near the level that his big brother displays. We'll just keep stumbling through life together. Then again, the clumsiest person I know is a righty.
3. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Thanks! I left a comment on your blog.
  
  My clumsiest child is by far my oldest son (13)...and he's right handed, hehe.
7/17/08

wandadog13

no

[reply]
7/17/08

riverstyxxx

I'm a lefty!

I've written about it once or twice on my blog too. I used to be ambidextrious when I broke my left arm twice as a kid. Even learned how to play baseball by batting and wearing a mitt on my right hand..That drove the pitcher Nuts sometimes. I can still do a few things with my right hand, like use a can opener and stuff, but its usually my left. No, I can't write with my right hand anymore, and when I did learn it took a lot of time to be neat. I tried to learn right-handed guitar, but no way. The only reason I don't have a guitar is because I can't find a left-handed one for a reasonable price. Discrimination sucks!

The best, yet simplest thing, to me is finding left-handed notebooks.

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Broke your left arm twice?! Ouch.
2. 7/17/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  Yeah, the first time I was about 6 years old? Me and one of the neighborhood kids were playing on a pile of wood stumps and I fell off. Arm looked like a bent-up paperclip and I had to be carried home then rushed to the hospital.
  
  The second time wasn't uh, wasn't as prompt. About 2 years later, I was riding a scooter in the yard and tripped over a garden hose..My grandfather didn't believe I had broken my arm, so I had to sit and cry for hours until my dad got home. He only took me because I complained a lot about it.
  
  I have a REALLY misunderstanding family, btw.
7/17/08

kat822

Hey river I am a lefty too! my family always complained I used the wrong side of the knife when I buttered my bread, I was always stuck on the end of the table at dinner, no one wanted to get bumped lol

I hate that when you go to a convience store and they have the little pen attached to the string, it's never long enough for the leftie!!! The stick shift in manual cars UGHHHHHHHHHH!

I'm a teacher so when I write on the board I always get chalk, marker on my hand cuz I have to drag my hand over the writing when I write....also when writing on paper...oh and the computer mouse it's totally set up for the righty!

But I bat, throw, catch, bowl right handed go figure!

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  Yep, the pen connector string is always on the right side..Drives me nuts too
2. 7/17/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Hi Kat,
  
  Thanks for mentioning the computer mouse. I forgot about them! I have a laptop and am thrilled it has a touchpad!
  
  The only nice thing about eating dinner and being left handed is that there is never any confusion about where you sit...it's always on the end! I always mess with my family too about wanting to pass the food around the table to the LEFT. Why do we always have to go to the right?!
3. 7/17/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  I can use a mouse in Four different ways:
  
  With my right hand, controls set to normal.
  With my right hand, controls set to lefty.
  With my left hand, controls set to normal.
  With my left hand, controls set to lefty.
  
  Try it, it's easier then it sounds, promise
4. 7/26/08
  
  legbamel
  
  I just use my regular mouse on the left side. There is some satisfaction in doing so, when I'm really angry, in that I click reply with my middle finger.
7/17/08

TimMc

www.lefthandersday.com/ (Thanks for leaving the comment on my blog River...I forgot about August 13th being Left Handers Day). I know what I'm posting about on that day!

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  Yep. If there's anyone with a valid reason to complain about discrimination, it's definitely us left-handers
  
  (And no, I don't complain..)
7/17/08

jadedconformist

Yes, but only when I need to navigate through certain sites with my right hand.

[reply]
1. 7/17/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  That is libelous to all left handers, and I insist that you immediately retract your statement and send me 500 dollars for pain and anguish suffering, or I shall be forced to report you to the lefthanders' club of america for defamation of character!
  
  (Ok see, now I made an official complaint...)
2. 7/17/08
  
  jadedconformist
  
  Like I said, I'm navigating with my right hand while I entrust Southpaw with an important task. I won't get into the messy details right here. It's hard to type with one hand and look at all avatars of these beautiful women at the same time. Hold off on that complaint to the LHCoA! I'm almost finished.
  
  [Update: Okay, I'm finished balancing my checkbook with my left hand now. Game on.]
7/17/08

TimMc

Did your school have desks that were made for only right handed students? My high school did. I think there were maybe 5 out of 5,000 desks that were actually made for lefties. I always had to sit sideways, twisted to the right in order to write. It really was irritating.

[reply]
7/17/08

kdawg68

Know what I've never been able to figure out?

Baseball.

A right handed batter seems to hit around league average (on average) against your average right handed pitcher.

But...

Put your league average for left handed batters up against left handed pitchers and suddenly the pitcher enjoys one of the biggest advantages in the game.

Why is that? Shouldn't it work the same for righty pitchers against right handed batters?

Never quite understood that.

I know this - I'm a righty, and I want to vomit whenever my favorite team breaks camp without at least 2 solid left handed starters in the rotation.

[reply]
7/17/08

TimMc

You're right. I don't know why it is like that with pitching and batting. My oldest son is a pitcher (right handed). He absolutely hates pitching to left handed batters. It's a mental thing, haha.

[reply]
7/17/08

mattiasx

It's funny that once upon a time lefties were considered to be evil, or spawns of the devil.

They're just jealous because us lefties are more attractive and far more talented. Witchcraft my butt.

[reply]
7/17/08

kdawg68

I know I always wanted to be able to hit left handed. I was decent in the batting cage but never tried it in an actual game - apart from backyard whiffle ball type contests.

In terms of football, I've often wondered if having a lefty quarterback could help neutralize some of the current NFL trends. In particular, your left tackle is traditionally your more gifted edge blocker - with the right tackle being slightly less athletic and more of a road grader.

Opposing defenses will typicaly line up their defensive fronts assuming that the best blocker is at the left tackle position. With a southpaw quarterback, the blindside is the right of the o-line, which means that in theory the right tackle should be your best tackle. I wonder if this creates a certain amount of mismatches - or at least causes defenders to play out of their comfort zone a bit? Teams that like to move personal around would seem to have an advantage in dealing with such a situation, but plenty of teams have dedicated left and right defensive ends - even in the 2 and 3 deep rotations. Food for thought, I suppose.

[reply]
7/17/08

thatissocute

One of my pet peeves is when a clerk hands me a credit card charge to sign...and it's always tilted the wrong way!
Another pet peeve is buffet lines at pot lucks...all the serving utensils are the wrong way...especially ladles that only have that area to pour from on 1 side...the right-handed side.

[reply]
7/17/08

kdawg68

For the more scientifically knowledgable amongst us - quick question.

What exactly is the reasoning behind favoring one "hand" over the other? It would seem this would be detrimental from an evolutionary perspective.

Is it just about nerve and brain connections being used more frequently and developing differently or is there some other reason this occurs?

I'm just thinking back to our earliest ancestors/relatives. Hurt or lose your dominant hand out in the plains of Africa, and you might wind up in a good bit of trouble.

Hmmm....now that has me thinking - probably the reason we are social animals that seek the benefits of families and larger groups. I remember hearing that one of the remains they found of the hominid group "lucy" belonged to showed evidence of a healed broken femur - which suggests that pre-human hominids were caring for their injured. Quite remarkable.

[reply]
1. 7/18/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Dang Kdawg...you're a deep thinkin' horse, hehe.
7/17/08

mizhelena

im def right handed but ive always envied ppl can can use both..

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7/17/08

EDBeale

*gives the left-handed salute*

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7/17/08

RenalFailure

I'm a lefty when it comes to throwing, batting, kicking, punching, and shooting a hockey stick. But I write right handed. My handwriting, however, is very atrocious. That's how I keep it real.

[reply]
7/18/08

indianhits

comment removed by the community.

[reply]
7/18/08

kat822

hey indianhits quit shamelessly promoting your blog , where's a mod when you need one! the nerve ! lol

[reply]
7/18/08

gosmelltheflowers

A guilty left hander here BUT I play golf right handed, use scissors with my right hand so not a full 100% lefty! www.gosmelltheflowers.com

[reply]
1. 7/18/08
  
  TimMc
  
  Never did learn how to use scissors with my right hand. I figured I was dangerous enough with right handed scissors in my left hand. I can't imagine what the outcome would have been if I had tried using my right hand. Yikes!
7/18/08

TimMc

Well, this has been fun. My first official discussion. Thanks everyone for indulging me and my left-handedness!

I'm off to dreamland...I'm tired.

[reply]
7/18/08

weblogian

no

[reply]
7/18/08

chrisc324

I flip the notebooks so the spiral ring is on the right. Doesn't solve the smudge problems completely but it helps.

On a side note I am left-handed but I throw and bat and use a fork right-handed like everyone else. I'm an odd bird

[reply]
7/18/08

DieselLives

ambidextrous i most tasks, right handed in the rest

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7/18/08

wiisboz

Left handed should be smart. Too bad I am not.

[reply]
7/18/08

jjwright85

Yes I am left handed, unless I am using scissors...

[reply]
1. 7/18/08
  
  calais50
  
  I'm a lefty and I cannot use scissors with my left hand either. Being a lefty is not very difficult, but when someone teaches you something such as tying shoes or sewing, they have to do it backwards. Even using right handed desks in school was no big deal but my other lefty classmates sure made a big fuss if left handed desks were not available. In school, I always made A's except for C's in penmanship. Also, sitting close to a righty at a table is not pleasant b/c you will bump arms with them. I'm happy because my new b/f is a lefty too. Less than 10% of people are left handed.
7/24/08

riverstyxxx

It just occurred to me: When I was a kid and someone wanted to shake my hand, I always held out my left hand and people looked at me strange.

[reply]
7/24/08

Aprincess4ever83

haha I choreograph for my cheerleading team and I always tend to start my routines on the left foot and using my left arm...I didn't even notice until someone pointed it out..so now I am more conscious of this when choreographing

[reply]
7/24/08

Anok

My dad is a solid lefty, and he can't write in cursive, which is funny. (I don't know why he can't but I guess he never could).

I find that being able to switch gives me a distinct advantage when sparring, batting, or playing pool or mini golf.

[reply]
7/26/08

inmyredhead

Wow, what an interesting read.

As for me, I was born left handed. But my real dad was one of those afforementioned ignoramuses who thought left handed children were 'retarded',and no child of his would be viewed as retarded, so I was not allowed to use my left hand at all. It got slapped everytime I tried to do anything with it. I now write (pretty badly) and do most things with my right hand, most of the time. But I catch myself trying to still do things with my left. It's like it's hardwired into me to use it, but the skill and finess that comes with a lifetime of practice just isn't there.
But hey... I goed to skool and gotted smarter so it are ok now.

[reply]
1. 7/26/08
  
  Anok
  
  You know, that sucks. Schools used to do that to kids too - try to force them into using the right hand.
7/26/08

legbamel

I will say that people get very frustrated when you have no backhand playing tennis. I just switch the racket from my right hand to my left. For some reason, the tennis coach wouldn't let me do that any more. [shrug]

[reply]
1. 7/26/08
  
  Anok
  
  Ha! LOL.
7/26/08

pumpkinlights

I'm ambidextrous, but there are a few things I can only do with my right and a few I can only do with my left.

[reply]
8/12/08

riverstyxxx

Hey everyone, August 13th is Left-Handers Day

[reply]
8/13/08

sophielc

I am a leftie too; there are things we just have to learn to do with our right hand (no need to buy overpriced scissors for lefties) and when I write I tend to rub my left hand over the ink (pretty messy) but the Internet is my best friend (who needs to write when they can type?). I have always used my right hand for my computer mouse.
Other than that, life for lefties nowadays is pretty straightforward (not like when nuns and brothers used to force kids to use their right hand in school; that happened to my father).

[reply]
8/13/08

Bayho

What the heck? I never herd of any one being forced to write with their other hand. . thats crazy! I'm right handed so i never even knew that lefties had a ink smuging problem until now. . .I just though that driving stick would be harder . .but whats so great about stick any way? Learing to use both hands would probably be useful at some point.

[reply]
6/18/09

FarrukhSiddiqui

I’m left handed & I'm Proud of it, I don’t think I’m awkward, clumsy, or lacking in social graces though.

[reply]
6/18/09

noodlemie

im left handed,while most of the people in my society is right handed, but well its good for me though,i can write and the same time i can eat something with my right hand.but for pc mouse i used right hand.

[reply]
6/18/09

madijay

no

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