Comments | miss_mimsy: Being left handed

miss_mimsy

Being left handed

Nov 01, 2009 10:38

One thing that has been part of my Mills Education is the idea of power, privilege, class, and where I fit in and how I can be an ally. This has led me down some very frustrating roads. I think one of the reasons is because no one discusses one challenge I live with everyday and it bugs me that it doesn't matter.

( Cutting here, because some people may find this incredibly offensive. )

southpaw

Comments 25

rbus November 1 2009, 19:52:45 UTC

i was forced to my right hand.

the left one, the devil uses - but you already know that!

miss_mimsy November 2 2009, 06:02:22 UTC

A friend told me that in many desert cultures, where water is scare the left had is used for personal hygiene and the right is used for putting your food in your mouth. To do otherwise is considered gross and disgusting.

hitchhiker November 2 2009, 13:01:17 UTC

my kg teacher tried to do that. my mum came and gave her a good talking-to. she never tried again.

plymouth November 1 2009, 21:14:20 UTC

The only left-hand-specific thing I think I've ever bought is scissors. And it only seems to matter for the expensive sharp sewing scissors for which the left and right handed versions cost the same as far as I can recall.

The only time I have been REALLY bothered by a right hand designed product is actually windows. Because I have a convertible tablet and the scrollbar is on the right so when I wield the magic pen with my left hand I have to block the screen in order to reach the scrollbar. It's REALLY annoying. But tablet users are such a small market and left-handed tablet users even smaller that nobody is ever going to bother to fix this for me.

So while I agree that there are occasional annoying things, I kinda have a hard time relating to this. Especially the thing about learning styles. I always felt like I learned the "right" way. Or if it was wrong, I was good enough at it to fool everyone into thinking it was the right way. Including myself.

miss_mimsy November 2 2009, 06:05:02 UTC

So while I agree that there are occasional annoying things, I kinda have a hard time relating to this. Especially the thing about learning styles.

I probably would be similar if I hadn't broken two fingers (and did nerve damage) on my right hand when I was 11. There was about a year where I couldn't use my right hand for anything. I lack some of the ambidexterity I know a lot of lefties pick up as a school survival skill.

But for the most part (except for sewing shears) I don't keep too many left-handed tools in the house. I just adjust to what I have, it is simply easier that way.

princeofwands November 1 2009, 21:35:18 UTC

Preach it, Sistah ( ... )

miss_mimsy November 2 2009, 06:08:03 UTC

I use fine utensils left handed (writing, jewelry, eating, knifework, dental, etc) but favor my right arm (clumsily) for heavier tools (carpentry, power tools, most sports).

I am very similar. I throw a football and do most "sport" stuff with my right hand. However, when I was making chainmail or when I knit, I do it left handed.

And even though I know I "should" use a left-handed desk set up, I shared a workspace for so long, it feels awkward now, so I still have a right-handed mouse.

elfwreck November 1 2009, 22:07:00 UTC

I don't think a left handed person has ever been beaten up and it has been centuries since the "sinister" were burned as witches.It's been less than 20 years, however, since most schools stopped forcing left-handed children to write with their right hands. My husband's very likely naturally left-handed, but had to go through the whole "left hand taped behind your back until you do this RIGHT!" thing in school ( ... )

miss_mimsy November 2 2009, 06:09:58 UTC

Kallisti's left-handed. The way she writes is... interesting.

That is one thing that stunned me with my left-handed child (Boyo is a lefty). Public schools still do not know how to teach a left handed child to write. I had to show him the paper tilting trick.

elfwreck November 2 2009, 14:18:35 UTC

Kallisti writes the circle-parts and line-parts separately, and sometimes starts on the right-hand side, which leaves some letters being squished.

maestrodog November 1 2009, 22:47:03 UTC

You know...I bet if you designed a left-handed house, people would pay beyond top dollar to buy it. Houses built to accommodate people with physical differences outside the "norm" are in higher demand than you think...recently I read an article about a woman who was only 4'10" tall who had a house built specially for a person her size...sinks and counters placed lower, lower ceilings, low cabinets, light switches low on the walls, small Winchester-like stairs, tables set at a lower height, lower shower heads, toliet seats, bathtub faucets, the whole works. And when the time came for her to sell it, potential buyers were literally lining up out the door...she ended up with a waiting list of over 100 people I think, and ended up getting nearly double her asking price.

I'm pretty sure it would be the same for a left-handed house.

miss_mimsy November 2 2009, 06:17:57 UTC

You know...I bet if you designed a left-handed house, people would pay beyond top dollar to buy it.Only if they plan to live alone or have a left-handed partner. I have lived with two or three left handed people in my life. When it was just us, we set up everything we could to our comfort. It was especially noticeable in the kitchen, but it was noticeable in other places as well ( ... )

urox November 3 2009, 18:10:10 UTC

Doing the dishes backward? I've never noticed a difference if the washer was on the right or left of the sink.