If you didn’t know, today is officially Left-Handers Day! This is when we celebrate the 10 per cent of the population that are left-handed, and underscore the challenges faced by left-handers in a right-handed world.
The left-Handed Elephant in the Room
I am mixed-handed, this means I perform some tasks as a righty and others as a lefty. ‘Oh, are you left-handed?’ is a question I’m asked all the time, but only after beginning the rehearsal, dance class, art lesson, or whatever the activity happens to be. Nobody checks ahead of time, assuming that I am one of the 90 per cent that rely on the use of their right hand. And yet, I wonder. We make provisions for people with special needs, so why not left-handers? There are audio options at cash machines and large print at self-service checkouts, yet somehow the giant left-handed elephant in the room stands unnoticed.
To put the problem in context, here are just a few of the daily hazards left-handers face. Corkscrews, can openers, jars and measuring jugs, all these items are designed with a right-handed grip in mind. Having more strength in your left hand makes it go first when typing. And don’t get me started on finding a reliable biro that doesn’t give up on you mid-sentence. In fact, pens are the bane of our existnce. Chained pens — always to the right — are a nightmare. Pull the pen to the left, and the chain prohibits further action. You can forget about filling in that customs form. I once asked the Post Office if I could use one of their pens. This they readily allowed. Then they charged me £5 for the luxury.
Is the Devil Left-Handed?
It’s not entirely clear what causes left-handedness, but there are various explenations. One theory links left-handedness to variations of a specific gene — TUBB4B — that determines neuron and brain cell development. There is also an evolutionary hypothesis. We know that most Neanderthals were right-handed. In a fight, lefties had a natural advantage and could catch their opponent off guard. In that case, why didn’t more of us evolve to become left-handed, or at least ambidextrous? It’s beleived that lefties never became the majority because the need to fend off an attacker died out and resources became more easily shared. To this day, there are more left-handed people in competitive societies than in those that are more cooperative.
Though we can only speculate as to what causes some of us to rely on the left hand, at least this phenomenon is no longer associated with evil. The word ‘sinister’ is Latin for ‘left,’ originating from the belief that it was the Devil’s preferred hand — the one he used to baptise his followers. In the Middle Ages, left-handers, assumed to be working for the dark forces, were burned alive for witchcraft. As recently as the 20 Century, left-handed children were sometimes forced to learn to write with their right hand — a sort of conversion therapy for the left-handed minority. It’s still widely believed that ambidextrous people are in fact lefties who mastered right-handedness.
Neurodivergent people were once assumed to be defective and incapable. Now we recognise that their brains are just atypical. Southpaws (a baseball term adopted to describe left-handers) qualify as a neurodiverse group. So why are their needs not accommodated? If left-handedness was once seen as a problem that needed correcting, it’s apparent that lefties still struggle in the shadow of this stigma.
Famous Southpaws
Given the number of famous southpaws, it’s bizarre that left-handedness isn’t better understood. Here are just a few famous left-ahnders: Nicole Kidman, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe, Jennifer Lawrence, Prince William, Barack Obama, Aristotle, Winston Churchill, Marie Curie, Joan of Arc, and Oprah Winfrey. The list goes on. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote back-to-front, using ‘mirror writing’ to pin down his ideas without anyone stealing them. David Bowie taught himself to play right-handed guitars since reverse models were scarce after the war (and still rare). Adapting to a right-handed world — and inventing ways to do this — promotes the idea that southpaws are more intelligent and creative. However, recent studies have found no direct links and some even suggest that left-handed people may have lower IQs. The idea that left-handers are somehow smarter may reveal more about how we view the Artist: non-conformist, quirky, an anomaly, a deviant. What matters here is that this group of people continues to struggle in a world that does not fit their particular needs.
A Right-Handed Market
Like the elusive lefty guitars, left-handed gadgets are niche and pricey. Producing a mirror-image prototype of every item — for a mere 10 per cent of the population — isn’t profitable. So why not design products for south- and northpaws alike? Crucial buttons in the middle, not on the right. Camera shutter buttons at the bottom, centred for a thumb press like a Smartphone. Washing machines that open upwards with centre lock. Devices that can be assembled for left or right-handed use. Is this all impossible?
Perhaps the real question is, why hasn’t it been made possible? Left-handers are more than five times as likely to die in industrial and auto accidents. A fact that’s hardly surprising when one is forced to use tools that are ‘backwards,’ with safety mechanisms and shut-offs on the wrong (unnatural) side. The split second needed to use the weaker hand can make the difference between life and death. Still, manufacturers are not called out for putting 10 per cent of the population at risk.
We would never expect someone in a wheelchair to use the stairs, so why do we presume lefties can use devices that go against their neural grain without risking serious harm? Not only do we overlook how arduous it is to be left-handed, we repeatedly underestimate how very hazardous life as a left-hander can be. If this apathy doesn’t change, manufacturing will have blood on its right hand.
So, why do we fail to take the needs of lefthanders seriously?
Answer: They’re never presented with due seriousness.
You’d never laugh at a blind or death person unless it was part of a slapstick comedy show where we knew the mishaps were only pretence. Well, left-handers’ legendary clumsiness and ‘left-right confusion’ can make it seem like you’re part of a hilarious comedy; except that it’s real, and people’s feelings can get hurt.
The only way to get serious about the constant lefty struggle is to start calling it by its proper name: Discrimination.
For More Resources on the Issue:
1. The begining of right-handedness: https://youtu.be/vb11oOHYNXM?si=yR7E_JBxXC0QGQEj
2. How left-handed are you? Take a test: https://www.lefthandersday.com/surveys/left-handedness-test
3. Here is an oft-cited study showing left-handers are more likely to need medical attention following injury.
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