In a world being handled mostly by our right hands, there are some left-handed things that some of us won't understand. With 10 percent of the world’s population using their left hand more in day-to-day operations, it’s natural for this uniqueness to get pushed to its limit. After all, when 90 percent of people seem generic, left-handed people have the privilege of being somewhat unique.
People with left-hand preferences get unique humor and a lot of boring, generic questions. To some people, left-handedness is such a popular topic that they will automatically ask a billion questions related to this aspect of a person. To prevent your friends from getting their questions out, you might want to declare yourself to be left-handed right off the bat. It's also a brilliant conversation starter. On the other hand, there is a humorous side to this uniqueness. There are a lot of jokes and hand puns that can be used to highlight this unique characteristic. Although, sometimes, these jokes might get out of hand pretty quickly.
Since the internet is so large, it was only natural for some left-handers to share the things that annoy them. User Toxic4704 asked this question to a group on AskReddit — “Left-handed people of Reddit, what are some everyday struggles that most right-handed people are not aware of?” We have compiled a list of the best answers down below. If you found some of them funny and maybe relatable, be sure to upvote them. Otherwise, share your own left-handed experience in the comments below.
#2
"As a kid having teachers constantly telling me I'm holding the pencil incorrectly. Also having teachers assume that my difficulty cutting things neatly with right-handed scissors was due to laziness/incompetence."
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35points
#3
"Whenever there is a pen chained to the counter (like at a bank or store) it's always attached on the right side. So lefties always have the chain draped across the thing you're writing on."
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33points
#5
"Eating in close proximity to someone who is right-handed. Always have to orient me at the table accordingly."
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33points
#6
"Power tools are designed for right-handed people, and they're dangerous enough already without having to be awkward about using them."
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33points
#7
"Nobody sees the jokes or pictures on my novelty coffee mugs."
steveofthejungle said:
"The coffee mug thing makes me so sad."
"The coffee mug thing makes me so sad."
crspphoto asked:
"Do people look at you like you're crazy when you sit there in the morning chuckling to yourself while staring at your mug?"
"Do people look at you like you're crazy when you sit there in the morning chuckling to yourself while staring at your mug?"
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32points
#8
"Having people point out the fact that you're left-handed as if you're some special unicorn."
user replied:
"Technically you are because just about 10 percent of the population is left-handed."
"Technically you are because just about 10 percent of the population is left-handed."
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31points
#9
"Having to hear people say, 'Wait, you're left-handed??' after you've been writing things in front of them for months."
Trum-y-Ddysgl said:
"One of my friends at school was born without a right arm. I had known the guy for at least 5 years when one day I randomly said 'Wait, Sam, I didn't know that you're left-handed?'
"One of my friends at school was born without a right arm. I had known the guy for at least 5 years when one day I randomly said 'Wait, Sam, I didn't know that you're left-handed?'
Don't know what brought it on, I was genuinely surprised that he was using his left hand to write with."
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29points
#10
"Everyone has said the common ones, but at 26 I recently discovered this one.
Going to fill your tank up at the gas station? Watch a lefty when they're standing at the pump. It took me YEARS to figure out why the stupid hose winds up getting tangled and doesn't seem to sit right when you put it back on the pump.
Righties grab the nozzle with their right hand and immediately turn to their left. Lefties grab the nozzle with their left hand and turn to the right, meaning the hose is twisting in the opposite direction. When we're done fueling, turning to the right seems to be the preferred move, as you're not going to spin back around to your left to put the nozzle back. So now you've twisted the hose into a pretzel, you can't get the nozzle to sit happily in the pump, and everyone's looking at you funny."
Nerdican replied:
"Wait, THAT'S why I always have to spin the rotating part on the nozzle when putting it back? I thought they were just poorly designed."
"Wait, THAT'S why I always have to spin the rotating part on the nozzle when putting it back? I thought they were just poorly designed."
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29points
#11
"Having to work with any kind of tool, utensil, or handheld device, because 98% of them are right-handed. Especially scissors."
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26points
#12
"Putting change in a vending machine. Everything about it just feels unnatural."
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25points
#13
"You sometimes have to reposition your drink when they give it to you at a restaurant."
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25points
#14
"This."
Thebaebeekiller replied:
"I say this actually worked an advantage as a left-handed person. I would put my right elbow on the desk, lay my head on my right hand, with a pencil in my left, and either write or sleep."
"I say this actually worked an advantage as a left-handed person. I would put my right elbow on the desk, lay my head on my right hand, with a pencil in my left, and either write or sleep."
25points
#15
"Whenever I'm baking, if I'm trying to measure something in a measuring cup, I have to hold it in my right hand to see the cup measurements. It's obviously a very small problem, but nonetheless annoying!"
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24points
#16
"It took me way too long to figure out a can opener. My parents were getting worried."
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23points
#17
"When writing with a pen (or a pencil), due to your hand following your pen across the page, it is very common to smudge the words you write."
user replied:
"YES. I write essentially exclusively with pens, and even then I'm SUPER picky about the pens I write with. Precise V5 all the way, baby. Doesn't smear, doesn't bleed through. I swear by them. Plus they come in all kinds of fun colors."
"YES. I write essentially exclusively with pens, and even then I'm SUPER picky about the pens I write with. Precise V5 all the way, baby. Doesn't smear, doesn't bleed through. I swear by them. Plus they come in all kinds of fun colors."
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22points
#18
"Bizarre side issue:
A lot of left-handed people are quite ambidextrous. This includes being able to read and write mirror writing.
As a result, sometimes you automatically read something in mirror writing without consciously registering that it is reversed. A common problem is pushing at glass doors that appear to say 'Push' on them when that writing is actually on the other side of the glass aimed at people coming from the opposite direction. Or going through a door that says (e.g.) 'to the bar' when the writing is actually on the other side of the door and you should be going in the opposite direction."
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22points
#19
"Learning knitting/crotcheting took me so long because of all of the instructions for right-handers. Ended up having to learn how to do it backward."
greywaters replied:
"I don't know if you still knit, or have already adapted to the right-handed directions, but take a look at continental knitting. It is more left-handed than English knitting."
"I don't know if you still knit, or have already adapted to the right-handed directions, but take a look at continental knitting. It is more left-handed than English knitting."
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21points
#20
"I’m a left-handed Westerner living in India. Besides what others have already mentioned:
In India, it is considered crude and unsanitary to use your left hand for pretty much anything, especially when handling food or handing something over. That’s because people use their left hand to wash their behind after using the toilet.
For the first few months, it was challenging. I had to retrain myself to handle a spoon with my right hand, to wear my wallet in my left pocket (in order to pull it out of my jacket with my right hand), to place my mouse to the right of the keyboard, etc."
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20points