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Only 10-12% of the population is made up of lefties! It’s no wonder that pretty much everything around us was invented for right-handed people. It’s not just about the lack of inventions or representation, but also, historically, being left-handed was considered unlucky or even evil. That idea was so ingrained that even the word “sinister” is derived from the Latin word for “left.”
It definitely seems like it’s tough being a leftie in this world. To truly understand their struggles, Bored Panda reached out to Bipinchandra Chaugule. He is the President of the Indian Association of Left-Handers. The organization works to create awareness, eradicate superstitions, conduct research, and even provide a community for left-handed people.
Bipinchandra mentioned that “there are innumerable traditions, conventions, and customs allowing only the use of the right hand. These customs are sometimes (or always) so funny and baseless that we can only pity those who enforce them blindly. I am not only talking about those that originated from superstitions or blind faith but even from apparently scientific fields too.”
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In the past, lefties have even been forced to swap hands when writing or doing tasks with their non-dominant hand. It’s also the reason why it’s hard to ascertain how many Baby Boomers were left-handed, as so many of them just had to adapt and use the “correct” hand.
Bipinchandra told us that “even today, in many sections of society, a toddler is first told to use the right hand for various tasks. It’s fine if the child follows it, but instead, if it puts forward its left hand, more often than not, a light rap is followed by the suggestion, ‘Not this one, but that one.’ Parents would not do this if they had some knowledge of handedness, otherwise, they will keep repeating it.”
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All of the grips, angles, and exhaust are designed for right hand operation.
Same with vacuums.
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Being a leftie comes with its own set of practical difficulties. Even if they’re allowed to freely use their left hand and exist in the world, unfortunately, pretty much everything is set up to favor right-handers.
Bipinchandra Chaugule gave a few examples of things and inventions that most lefties struggle with. He said that stuff like “big and small machines, tools, vehicles, equipment, instruments, gadgets, appliances, implements, weapons, and arms are mostly designed for right-handed use.”
“Just to acknowledge, there have been some efforts to design and manufacture some of these items for left-handed or [ambidexterous] use, and they are available at least in the ‘developed’ world, but largely, such examples are very few and most of these are made for right-handed usage.”
“It is also important to note that for an able-bodied, normal, healthy person to do any skilled task with hands involves the best eye-hand coordination. This is obviously better possible with the more preferred hand,” he added. It just goes to show how much of an impact something as small as handedness can have on the rest of a person’s life.
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Most of these are placed so that if there is an accident and you are being pulled into a machine, the e-stop is located wherever a right handed person would instinctively reach as they were trying not to die.
As a left handed person, this means they are *never* located where I need them to be. This is a common enough issue that left handed people are significantly more likely to die or suffer disabling injury in industrial accidents than right handed people. Most safety features are just not designed for lefties. Most large power tools are not designed for lefties at all.
#11
Brooms, where the stick screws into the brush part.
The way I naturally grip a broom and sweep causes it to gradually unscrew itself until the brush part falls off
So, I have to swap which hand is on top and my entire stance so my sweeping motion will constantly screw the stick and brush tighter together instead.
It's easily manageable but sometimes at the end of a long day of work you're tired, sweeping up and not thinking about having to do it opposite, the broom detaches.
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Even though it seems like lefties have it slightly tougher on a day-to-day basis, nobody seems to take their problems that seriously. One of the biggest reasons is that since right-handers are in the majority, and everything has been designed for them, they don’t really have to think twice about doing or using the stuff around them.
Bipinchandra explained that “since early childhood, most left-handers are systematically convinced that they should learn to do things right-handed, and they fall for the trap. Fighting for left-handers' 'rights' looks like a fancy and fad-like thought in a world filled with many serious social issues.”
He explained that “it needs money to keep a movement going on forever and to create awareness. We have been working in India since 1991 (34 years) and still haven't been able to cover much of the country. We need large funds to reach out to parents, teachers, schools, educationists, and the government.”
The most surprising thing that Bipinchandra mentioned is how “left-handers themselves think that the right hand is the better hand and they too should follow the right-handed norms. e.g., shaking hands, saluting, and other such customs. They do not feel the need to come together, get organized, and fight for their legal rights.”
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It might seem incredibly hard to change people’s perception of handedness or to suddenly overthrow right-handed control over everything. It might make sense to start small and possibly at an individual level.
Bipinchandra shared a few useful tips that lefties can do to make their lives easier. He said:
- They need to demand left-handed instruments and tools to work with.
- They should [learn] about the hazards they could face while using right-handed items and take necessary precautions.
- They should join organizations like the Association of Left-Handers and create a united front.
- The International Left-handers' Day i.e. 13th of August should be celebrated nationally.
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Being a leftie doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. There are now left-hander communities, inventions, and tools that (are slightly costlier but) are specifically designed for them. It is sometimes believed that left-handed people are more creative and artistic, which seems great. Research has also found that being a leftie can be a great advantage in sports.
Left-handed people might have a few more obstacles to overcome when using their dominant hand, but their unique abilities certainly seem to make up for it!
Are you a leftie? We’d love to hear more about your experience.
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I think this is because growing up and playing sports, I always automatically converted the verbal instructions in my head. Example throwing a ball. “Raise your left arm to point and then throw with your right arm” would become raise my right arm and throw with the left.
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