Or, feel free to submit any essays, posts or stories for the Local Articles section to my ftp directory (or mail them to me if you prefer).
If you want your comments to be kept private, that's fine! I'm always interested in hearing from you privately about left-handedness and your reactions to what you've read.
In Singapore, people are less inclined to stand up for many things. As a result, I find that I have LEARNT to tolerate the 'inconveniences' of being left-handed. Perhaps, as a minority, I have always felt that this was the way things had to be. However, after reading your views on the matter, I realise that I am not alone in grieving over pens that only work when you angle them the way a right-hander would.Thank goodness my mother told my primary school teacher to leave me alone as far as being left-handed was concerned. My father was not so lucky. He was forced to write with his right hand. Many people still look on left-handedness as an abnormality -- something to do away with. I met a woman who categorically told me (despite knowing that I was left-handed) that she had been trying so hard to correct her daughter's left-handedness.
If only this was an issue in Singapore. If only there was a way to educate the people that the 'left' way of looking at things is also right. Sadly, although information is readily available on the Net on this topic, you are right to say that only left-handers would find it of interest. If I were a right-hander, I wouldn't bother too much about what left-handers had to say.
The most frequent problem I have in regards to being left handed is making a check mark. Right handed people make the higher side on the right side, thus a sweeping motion occurs making it more "check" like. I make my check marks "backwards" with the sweep or higher side on the left. People always comment on this when they notice, but from my albeit left-handed view, is the most natural way to make it.Another problem I encounter is I hang my clothes up backwards, not a real problem at home, but when I worked in retail I always had to make a concientious effort to hang them up "backwards."
Also when filing things, my pages always tilt the wrong direction. After working for a somewhat non-flexible right handed person, I realized that there are many things that I do naturally which are considered backwards. When looking in a file in a cabinet, I tilt my head to the left (because I file that direction I suppose). Books are also put on the shelf that way.
Now, all this may not be because I am left-handed, it may just be that I am just backwards, however, since I remember trying to learn how to tie my shoes, write and deal poker (left-handed dealers are considered bad luck. I have heard some casinos won't hire left handed dealers) all of which were taught to me by right handed people. Although my instructor for poker brought in a lefty to show me!
And I thought overcoming the right-handed desks in school were to be my biggest obstacle.
I was happy to find this site. As a southpaw, I grew up "handicapped," although I never really knew it. Coming from a family of righties, no one understood the plights and frustrations lefties face growing up. As a future educator, I am happy that I am more knowledgeable about obstacles lefties face in a right handed world. I am glad to find this site to pass on to young lefties so they know they are not alone. Thanks!
Good Morning! Just found this excellent left-handed page by accident. I am a 46 year old left-handed woman. I have had to adjust to living in a right handed world, something I don't think a right handed person could do. Of my three children, one son is lefthanded.I love being left-handed. Makes me feel special. Of course, it almost cost me my first job; telephone operator at the telephone company. It was actually a question on the job application.
The telephone company switchboard was set up to fit as many operators as possible. We sat VERY close together. I had to constantly keep my elbows down and learned to key pulse with my right hand.
I once freaked out a Catholic nun when I innocently blessed myself with my left hand. I was all of seven years old. I never knew nuns could move so fast.
Sandy Montgomery
Hello to all the southpaws out there!!! The right-handed population is unaware of it, but we will one day unite and rule the world! Then we will finally have some empathy from all those "OTHER" handed people. I am presently a college student, planning to become a writer (they say we're more creative, and well, we ALL know we're smarter...) I skipped kindergarten, so I was already taking a huge step in development just by enrolling in first grade. Then I had the unfortunate experience of encountering the prejudice we lefties must all face eventually. (Can't we all just get along?) I was innocently writing my name, and all of a sudden, the first week of grade school, the teacher (whose name, face, and manner I will never forget but am for some reason allowing anonyminity) yanked my paper around to the "correct" position. For years I have had hand and wrist crmps because I hold the paper like I am "supposed" to. My problems began there, but this was not the first person to try to change my behavior. When I was a small child, my mother would try to make me stir a spoon or eat with my right hand, just to catch me switching as soon as I thought her back was turned. She however, accepted my decision and did not try to force me.I realize that my comment is nowhere near as interesting as the others from distant lands, but I wanted to make fellow right-brainers aware that this process of trying to force a lefty to be something they are not still happens in schools today. If this is the case with you, children you know, or perhaps your own children, please go to the administrators of their school and take action. Inform them that this can cause learning disabilities and other serious problems. Thanks for taking the time to read this and for letting me know that I'm not alone.
I am fifty years old, female, married for 28 years to another lefty. Our two boys (20 & 17) are right handed. I am an identical twin, but my twin is right handed, which makes us "mirror twins." I am the only one in my family (growing up) who is lefthanded. I like being lefthanded; it makes me feel special.There is one aspect of leftiness that I have not seen addressed in all the web sites I have visited. Many lefties write with their left hand curved around to form the letter C, due to the angle of the paper when they write. I have always written with my hand straight, turning my paper so it is slanted to the northeast rather than the northwest. I would like to hear about the percentage of lefties who do as I do, and I would like to learn why and how we learned to write that way. I imagine that a helpful teacher taught me to turn my paper the other way, but I have no memory of this.
I like your lefthanded page, and appreciate the work you have done for the benefit of lefties. Thank you.
I enjoyed your page on left handedness. I have a few questions and observations on this. First, my mother ingrained in me that I was "brain damaged" because I was totally off the wall in my personality/quirkiness/just different from her other 3 children. I can't tell you what this early programming did to my self esteem, not to mention my career in college, etc. working, you name it. I've always known I was different but felt that i was just a sorta highly creative person. I am ambidexterious but was wondering if being left handed has anything to do with how you process information and other learning disabilities. etc.I am a lefty and proud of it. I am highly intuitive, psychic and receive info in a different way. Also, are there any studies on left handedness and depression? Thanks!!!