Lefties

By Germika Sanders, Junior

It appears that our presidential elect Barak Obama and his former competitor, John McCain
disagree on a lot of issues, but they can not deny that they have one thing in common: they are both left-handed.

For thousands of years evil and even the devil have been associated with the left hand. Now in the twenty-first
century, we know that lefthanders have adapted to the right-hand world whether it is fair for them to “change” or not. Many centuries ago, being left-handed meant you were cursed which is very superstitious. Those with certain religious affiliations often thought the devil baptized his followers by making them left-handed. In Eastern countries,
citizens believed that left-handed people were inferior.

In some cultures, they were looked upon with awe and viewed as goddesses. Today we know that these “southpaws” are ordinary just like the rest of us. Unfortunately, we live in a world that caters to the right-handed. There are some disadvantages for not being able to write with your right hand.

“I really can’t stand writing in spiral notebooks because they hurt my hand,” exclaims an anonymous left-handed junior. This person also explained that it’s difficult writing next to a right-handed person because their elbows tend to collide. This could cause distractions and irritations for the students during classes not to mention left-handed individuals tend to have trouble with ink pens because their hand smudges the ink.


According to Mr. Chad Griesel, left-handers have a shorter life span than those who write with their right hand. A school-wide survey revealed 80% of students are right-handed. Those who are did not have a problem with being this way. “I’ve trained myself to learn how to write in right-hand notebooks,” stated junior Brianne Jarrett. There are solutions for those lefties who do not like taking notes in right-hand notebooks, but there is a catch. Many new products out there exist for those who write with their left hands.

There are products such as left-handed spiral notebooks, keyboards, scissors and even left-handed mugs. The unfortunate thing about these left-handed items is that they are expensive and hard to find. The average cost of a left-handed notebook
is $4.25 with a typical notebook from Wal-Mart ranging from $0.10 to $3.00. Why should lefties be charged for writing with a less “popular” hand?

Mary Cauler, a woman who owns a left-handed store in Pennsylvania, claims her left-handed items are high because not many lefties purchase left-hand items and they are not manufactured as much as right-handed items. We all know that left-handed individuals should be treated like everyone else. Unfortunately they have more disadvantages not because of the fact they are left-handed but through how society views them. However, when it’s all said and done, everyone will still think that we are living in a right-handed world.


Fun Fact: Where did “south paw” come from?

It was originally a boxing term, and since the majority of boxers were right-handed, when you fought a lefty they would stand the same way but their punch would come out of nowhere or "the south."

In baseball, left-handed pitchers face south when facing thebatter.