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The Worst Parts About Being Left-Handed
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Roughly 12 percent of the world's population is left handed.

Studies have shown that being in this distinct minority comes with a number of advantages.

Indeed, four the last seven Presidents of the United States were all left-handed,

And considering Phil Mickelson, Rafael Nadal and Oscar De La Hoya are all left-handed as well, it seems lefties are at an advantage on the field or in the court or arena.

Though, if you were to speak to a left-handed person about their experience, they'll more than likely bemoan all the disadvantages of being a lefty.

Of which, there are admittedly several.

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Left-Handed People Break Down Their Biggest Daily Struggles
Image by athree23 from Pixabay
Simply put, this is a right-hander's world.
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Left-Handed People Explain The Downside Of Living In A Right-Handed World

Right handed people have it easy.

Redditor u/u/BadlySpeltBouy asked, "What are the perks and downsides of being left handed that no one talks about?"

Left handed Redditor's gave us a glimpse into the world of inconvenience that they face. Right handed people don't realize how every product and device is made for them to use easily, while lefties must adapt or hope someone invents an alternative for them. Still, there are some perks to being left handed.

10. My school had an odd abundance of left-handed desks

"The worst is when you're in a classroom that has those single chair/desk combo. They're all right handed making it super hard to make notes. Sometimes there's a token left handed one in a random place in the classroom where you don't particularly want to sit."

medium_place

9. Grade school scissors are everyone’s enemy

"Spiral notebooks are your enemy, as well as grade school scissors. You can always use the excuse to use the teachers scissors though, they were always better anyway."

VICIOUSLY

8. Lefties make good fighters

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"In combat sports, left handers are more likely to win because everyone's been training against right handers and facing left handers is kind of rare. Manny Paquiao and Tenshin Nasukawa come to mind of famous southpaws. Keep in mind some right handers also choose to fight in 'left handed' stance too."

SaberSabre

7. A right handed person would never notice

"The jagged teeth on printers for receipts and things are designed to be used by the right hand."

Adok85

6. I’m guilty of saying this

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"Everytime someone sees you write something you get to hear, 'Oh, you're a leftie huh?"

smackdiggums

5. It puts a damper on writing 

"Downside is I always smudge my pencil/ink if im writing something especially if my hands are a lil sweaty"

WisselBit

4. It really is a right-handed world...

"All tools are made for right handers.

All thumb buttons are on the wrong side of handles.
Meat slicers and all one handed operation machines are right hand operation only.
Guns eject spent casing in your face and safety you often have to reach around the gun in an awkward manner.

I could go on and on. We live in a right handed word, lefties just visit it clumsily."


TheWorldMayEnd

3. Even a dinner party is difficult

"I always have to be quick to sit down at a dinner table. Unless I get a spot on the left side of the table (as you face it) or the end I bump elbows with others at the table. It can seem rude but it works best for everyone."

spinichmonkey

2. It runs in the family

"I never had to share my softball glove cause no one could ever use it...but it was hard to find a glove to buy period.
My daughter is also left handed and for whatever reason I love that she is."

skepticfem

1. Holding hands isn't inconvenient

"My boyfriend and I can hold hands and both use our dominant hands for stuff"

bluespacecadet

Arguably one of the best depictions of left-handed people is Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. In the show, he opens his "Leftorium", which unfortunately goes out of business pretty quickly. Similar struggles exist for left-handed people in the non-cartoon world, and are continually ignored in a predominantly right-handed world.

u/SergeantGroosh asked: Left handed people, what are some hurdles you face in a a right handed dominant world?

A whole different method.

Having to teach myself how to hold a pencil. In Ms. Clayton's defense, I don't think she'd ever had a leftie in her class before, but I basically had to figure it out on my own.

Should also mention, the way you write with the left hand is WAY different than how you write with the right since you push the pencil instead of pulling it.

CUrlymafurly

The struggle.

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When the delivery guy needs a signature and tries to force the pen into your right hand.

sbutler87

And attached pens with chains too short to reach the left side.

Jeopardyanimal

Most don't even think about that.

Having to use your non-dominant hand for handshakes, scissors, notebooks with large rings, inky pens (getting it all over the side of your hand/pinkie finger), phone apps optimised for the right hand, writing on whiteboards without rubbing off the pen.

daisypalace

Cut it out!

Scissors. Universal does not mean universal.

jaydub54

Some people are a**holes.

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Does anyone else find that they have left and right handed ways of doing things? For instance, I write left handed, throw left handed, but bat and golf right handed, and use right handed scissors. Although archery is left handed. But screw those desks in school with the arm rest on the right side.

I once found a desk in one class with a left side armrest but someone was already sitting in it. When I asked if I could sit there as I'm left handed and made for people like me he was like, "screw you I got here first." Then proceeded to always complain about how his right arm got tired all the time.

OlliverClozzoff

That's annoying.

"WhOa, YoU'rE lEfT haNdEd?!?!?!?!"

-People you've known for years and have said this to you several times over the years.

AwkwardSquirtles

That must be difficult.

Currently, as the only person that's left-handed in my household, it's learning how to crochet and knit. My mom does both a lot, and has tried to teach me quite a few times, but I can't get the hang of it since I'm trying to copy what she's doing but "backwards."

Otherwise, I have the distinct memory in middle school where I was all alone at a station for the golf segment of P.E. because they only had one lefty club and I was the only left handed person in that group of kids. That, and finding a lefty baseball mitt was weird because other kids would take it not thinking about it.

Littledreamer35

It's not a quirk.

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Scissors is a big one.

Also getting graphite or ink on your hand from writing.

Everything is right hand - oriented. Everything from cars to doors, to placement of trash cans, you don't really realize these things until you do.

Also my left-handedness being seen as some kind of crazy quirk.

UlfarrOT

Oof.

Trying to sign an office birthday card without smudging what everybody else has written.

CloffWrangler

Oh no!

My wife and I are both left handed and have 2 right handed daughters. Needless to say, they did not get a head start on learning to write.

eviljason

Arguably one of the best depictions of left-handed people is Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. In the show, he opens his "Leftorium", which unfortunately goes out of business pretty quickly. Similar struggles exist for left-handed people in the non-cartoon world, and are continually ignored in a predominantly right-handed world.

u/SergeantGroosh asked: Left handed people, what are some hurdles you face in a a right handed dominant world?

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