Are left-handed people disadvantaged?

[TalkingPoint]

To what extent are left-handed people disadvantaged in the world today?

What do you think?

[MissLT]

Before? Yes. Nowsaday? I'm not sure. We used to have half of the people were right-handed and half of the people were left-handed; however, right-handed people dominated left-handed people and forced them to use the right hand. Thus, we only have around 10-25% people are left-handed. I believe kids in some countries are still being forced to use their right hands if they're left-handed .

[Shazzam]

Before? Yes. Nowsaday? I'm not sure. We used to have half of the people were right-handed and half of the people were left-handed; however, right-handed people dominated left-handed people and forced them to use the right hand. Thus, we only have around 10-25% people are left-handed. I believe kids in some countries are still being forced to use their right hands if they're left-handed .

My husband was left handed. When he was a school he was forced to write with his right hand. He is now right handed.

I personally don't think it makes any difference; but I have noticed that most people that are right handed have neater hand writting :? . I think in some instances too because of the universal way that writing books are made it is easy for them to smudge their work. What do you think?

[MissLT]

My husband was left handed. When he was a school he was forced to write with his right hand. He is now right handed.

I used to write with my left hand, but then I was forced to write with my right hand in school. That teacher was horrible. I remember whenever she turned to other students, I would change back to my left hand since I had to put extra effort to write with my right hand, and it was extremely hard for me. Once time she caught me doing that; she told me if I ever did that again, she would have to chop my left hand off. Can you believe a thing some teacher would say to a six-year-old kid? I dislike teachers who are like this from that day on. She made my first grade sucked :x . All I could remember about it is she would chop my left hand off if I didn't write with my right hand.
Also, I remember coming home crying to my mom, and she wasn't really helpful. Gosh, she told me to learn to write with my right hand since I didn't know how to write with my left hand as much as my right hand; therefore, it wasn't that much of a difference. I was so mad. I refused to go to school the next day, but she dressed me up and took me to school that day.

I personally don't think it makes any difference;

Well, in biology, they don't link the differences between left and right hand with our personality and skills since we don't have many proofs; however, there is definitely a change to the way the brain would set up if one is left-handed and is forced to use the right hand. Not much of a change, but there is a change. It's like people who have lost their hands, so they learn how to use their feet. Well, switching from right to left hand won't make that dramatic change, but it will somehow change something inside the brain, don't you agree?

but I have noticed that most people that are right handed have neater hand writting :? .

See, in Vietnam, teachers hold first-grade students' hands and teach them how to write. If a student was left-handed like me and the teacher was right-handed, then it would be really hard for them to hold the student's hand to show that kid how to write correctly. This is the reason why my teacher forced me to use my right hand since she was right-handed. The first time she saw me using the left hand, she told me I was holding the pencil in the wrong hand. After looking at me holding the pencil with my right hand (I couldn't barely hold it), she said I was left-handed and I had to learn how to write with my right hand because left hand was not a correct way to write .
At home, parents hold their kids' hands to show them how to write, I think. And if you were left-handed, one of your kids would definitely be left-handed; thus, if you were forced to use the right hand, it would be hard to teach the kids how to write neatly and correctly. As a result, you would force your kids to write with right hand or they had to be on their own. Either way, they'd be on their own.

[Shazzam]

In my country we don't hold childrens hands to help them to write. They use lined books and copy from the blackboard (whiteboard). This gets them started. Once they are on their way repetition usually corrects any problems they have with writing. I have noticed that most children write certain letters back to front when the start; for example b's, d's etc. My daughter had this problem we just corrected her when she did it; and now she is fine. I think stencils are a much better way for children to learn to write than to have someone standing over you holding your hand. In addition how time consuming for the teacher. The classrooms in my country are very big (especially in the public school system). There is no way a teacher could afford that much time to a pupil.

I don't think teachers correct children here anymore if they write with the left hand. I know that they used to but I don't think it matters now. Which is fine. I think if you want to write with your left hand; no big deal!

Lenny can I ask you something I'm just curious. Did you go to a Catholic school?

The reason that I ask is because my husband had a very similar experience as you (being made work with his right hand) and he went to a Catholic School; he said that the Nun's were very cruel about it as well.

[MissLT]

In my country we don't hold childrens hands to help them to write. They use lined books and copy from the blackboard (whiteboard). This gets them started. Once they are on their way repetition usually corrects any problems they have with writing. I have noticed that most children write certain letters back to front when the start; for example b's, d's etc. My daughter had this problem we just corrected her when she did it; and now she is fine. I think stencils are a much better way for children to learn to write than to have someone standing over you holding your hand. In addition how time consuming for the teacher. The classrooms in my country are very big (especially in the public school system). There is no way a teacher could afford that much time to a pupil.

I don't remember how a teacher managed to do it in Vietnam back in my days, but they could even though they had about 30-40 students. I kinda remember that my first-grade teacher divided the class into two groups: ones already knew how to hold the pencils and ones didn't know anything yet. I think she helped the ones who didn't know anything first and then went to the other group. It's because I remember I knew how to hold my pencil, well, with my left hand. And later then she came by and saw me holding my pencil with my left hand, that was the time she said my way was wrong. I'm not sure about this memory, though. Some members in Vietnam might know.
Anyway, they used writing books that had dotted letters so the kids could trace on them. And there were little superscript numbers on the letters to tell them where to start first. However, I did write the letters backward since it was more fun . People said I'm a backward girl because I read Westerner books backward and I read (the word is loosely here since I only look at the pictures ) Chinese book the Westerner's way .

[MissLT]

Lenny can I ask you something I'm just curious. Did you go to a Catholic school?

The reason that I ask is because my husband had a very similar experience as you (being made work with his right hand) and he went to a Catholic School; he said that the Nun's were very cruel about it as well.

Nope, just a regular public school. We don't have religious schools after the war; I was born after the war. All the older generations in my family went to French private schools and they had to learn about Christianity, so I guess you could call those Catholic schools. Not in my time and after. Communists don't believe in religions. In fact, they don't even want people to practice their religions .

[shokin]

Heu can you say more about differences between right head and left head ?

Shokin

[pier]

To what extent are left-handed people disadvantaged in the world today?
I think there is no such sayings.But you know,left-handed people will get more trouble in there life.
I'm a chinese. Many parents always feel uncomfortable once they find their children doing sth with the left hand, and such
so-called bad habit will be corrected immediately.
In fact,as we know,most of us are right-handed.When you take a seat next to a lef-handed people,and then you both will
feel unhappy on such accasions:having lunch.

[MissLT]

To what extent are left-handed people disadvantaged in the world today?
I think there is no such sayings.But you know,left-handed people will get more trouble in there life.
I'm a chinese. Many parents always feel uncomfortable once they find their children doing sth with the left hand, and such
so-called bad habit will be corrected immediately.
In fact,as we know,most of us are right-handed.When you take a seat next to a lef-handed people,and then you both will
feel unhappy on such accasions:having lunch.

Never once in my life people said to me that they were unhappy because I was a lefty. When I tell people I am one, they would let me take their seat, which is at the end of the table, so I won't bump into their chopsticks and it'd be easier for me. Also, they even get the food for me if I have to sit too far away from the dishes .
About Chinese and being left-handed, I think it's because the way you start a book is different than the Westerner's way-- you open your book from the left to the right. And your writing of the characters is convenient for people who are right-handed than left-handed. Right?

[symphony]

I know some people left-handed, they are same as right-handed, they have the same physical skills .
The problem is the world is made for right-handed people, in other words, furniture, instruments, tools, etc.
This is unfair because they are a minority group with one physic caracteristic different, but they found many difficults in simple things.

[MissLT]

Yes, you are right. Chinese book opened from the left to the right was ever used. But that is already the history now. Or maybe you still can find this kind of book in market, but that is only designed for the traditional book as souvenirs or other special purposes.

Are you saying you guys don't use this way anymore with the new books now?

That is a special character in our traditional culture. But this did not contribute to using left hand. Now, I found more and more children surrounding me are both left-handed and right-handed. They learned that this way will help them to develop their mind; particularly it will decrease their stress in their heavy study. So my cousin is just one of them. He started to use his left hand to write and eat from his childhood. Since attending school, he changes to write by right hand instead of left one.

Was he forced to use his right hand in writing or he just liked to use his right hand?

But he still keeps the habit of eating by left hand till now. He thought that is a big fun for him. Actually, I didn't realize I am left-handed. But I find I only can use scissors by left hand.

Me, too. I only use right hand for writing; I use left hand for everything else. It's my dominant hand. Same thing with the legs. I kick and hop (need stronger force) with left leg, but I do everything else (weaker force) with right leg.

Recently, I notice that many reports announce the person who using left hand is wiser than those who using right hand.

Can you please show me one of the reports about this since I find this is really inaccurate???

[RAJEH]

in islam ususly they use the right hand in good thing like hand shike or eat or catch the thing form the frind, and the lift hand use it in som thing like clene the chet or somthing like it.
and thats good to lite the right hand clene.
and abute the writeing i think no difrint abut the right or the lift hand.

[lillychen]

Sintists believe that the more you use your left hand, the more your right brain get mor practise. The human's brain devide two parts, the left brain and the right brain. The right activities (such as reading use right eye wrighting use right hand and kicking use right leg) are controlled by left. and the left activities are controlled by right brain. So people who use his right hand left brain is more developed than right brain. and the right brain is keeping balance of balance. I found some athletes are lfe-handed maybe because of it.
I think the god give us left hand and right hand so we should use them same foten, they are all important!

[/s/c/w/]

Hi, I'm 15 years old. I first met my Dad 2 years ago, but lately him (and his wife) been telling me to eat right handed (fork in left hand knife in right). Although I am right handed, all my life I have eaten left handed (one of those strange things I suppose!), and no one has had a problem with it, so of course this has come as a suprise to me and kinda' upsets me having to do it.
This has never been an arisen subject before for me, and wasn't sure if they were right and I had been 'let-off' being made to eat right handed so I asked all my family (mum, grandma, uncle, aunt...) and they were all very surprised that my Dad was telling me to eat right handed and thought it was wrong to make someone do so, and that left or right handed eating was not an issue, but my Dad would beg to differ. He thinks that people would think I hadn't been brought-up right if they saw me eating left-handed and that if I wanted to go far in life I would have to eat right-handed, Period.
I had a look on the internet about stuttering, because I had been told that being made to eat or write with the 'wrong' hand (the one you're not used to using) could cause stuttering, I found a few scientists backing that idea and showed my Dad and step Mum, but they dismissed that with an argument that a friend of theirs is left handed and was made to eat right handed and 'just got used to it' and doesn't have a stutter. But one 'friend' against a few scientists with valid research? Hmm...
So basically, because I'm young and they're both adults, they think they're right. (But I'm not giving up!)

That's why I would be very grateful if you could say your feelings and if you agree and know of an arguement, please say!


Thank you in advance,

Sebastian

[illusion]

My husband was left handed. When he was a school he was forced to write with his right hand. He is now right handed.

I used to write with my left hand, but then I was forced to write with my right hand in school. That teacher was horrible. I remember whenever she turned to other students, I would change back to my left hand since I had to put extra effort to write with my right hand, and it was extremely hard for me. Once time she caught me doing that; she told me if I ever did that again, she would have to chop my left hand off. Can you believe a thing some teacher would say to a six-year-old kid? I dislike teachers who are like this from that day on. She made my first grade sucked :x . All I could remember about it is she would chop my left hand off if I didn't write with my right hand.
Also, I remember coming home crying to my mom, and she wasn't really helpful. Gosh, she told me to learn to write with my right hand since I didn't know how to write with my left hand as much as my right hand; therefore, it wasn't that much of a difference. I was so mad. I refused to go to school the next day, but she dressed me up and took me to school that day.

I personally don't think it makes any difference;

Well, in biology, they don't link the differences between left and right hand with our personality and skills since we don't have many proofs; however, there is definitely a change to the way the brain would set up if one is left-handed and is forced to use the right hand. Not much of a change, but there is a change. It's like people who have lost their hands, so they learn how to use their feet. Well, switching from right to left hand won't make that dramatic change, but it will somehow change something inside the brain, don't you agree?

but I have noticed that most people that are right handed have neater hand writting :? .

See, in Vietnam, teachers hold first-grade students' hands and teach them how to write. If a student was left-handed like me and the teacher was right-handed, then it would be really hard for them to hold the student's hand to show that kid how to write correctly. This is the reason why my teacher forced me to use my right hand since she was right-handed. The first time she saw me using the left hand, she told me I was holding the pencil in the wrong hand. After looking at me holding the pencil with my right hand (I couldn't barely hold it), she said I was left-handed and I had to learn how to write with my right hand because left hand was not a correct way to write .
At home, parents hold their kids' hands to show them how to write, I think. And if you were left-handed, one of your kids would definitely be left-handed; thus, if you were forced to use the right hand, it would be hard to teach the kids how to write neatly and correctly. As a result, you would force your kids to write with right hand or they had to be on their own. Either way, they'd be on their own.

Your story is very sad, Len. I hate teachers like that. No one has a right to force someone to write with other hand. Here no one ever forced my friends to write with right hand. But I guess if it was possible to learn to use other hand than maybe I could learn how to write with my left hand? It would be cool to be able to write with both hands and use them according to your mood. ha ha lol

[MissLT]

Your story is very sad, Len. I hate teachers like that. No one has a right to force someone to write with other hand. Here no one ever forced my friends to write with right hand. But I guess if it was possible to learn to use other hand than maybe I could learn how to write with my left hand? It would be cool to be able to write with both hands and use them according to your mood. ha ha lol

It's been a long time, 18 years to be exact, so I don't know if there's any changes about this sorta thing. I hope it does since kids should be freely allowed to enrich what they're comfortable with.

[TearHere]

Me, too. I only use right hand for writing; I use left hand for everything else. It's my dominant hand. Same thing with the legs. I kick and hop (need stronger force) with left leg, but I do everything else (weaker force) with right leg.

i used to write with my left hand too when i was younger. my mom would slap my hand whenever i do just that.. she would sometimes even hold a stick (maybe to threaten me or something..) that time i didn't have a grasp of what was really happening..y'know, mom's right so i gotta follow her.

but now, i've come to realise that it doesn't really matter whether you're left or right handed..does it? i wonder why it is such an issue to some(including my mom )

anyway, i'm right handed now, and unlike you Len, i use my right hand for writing and almost everything else..it's so overused..poor right hand,, :( ..

[MissLT]

Awww... you poor thing. My mom didn't find anything wrong with me using left hand, only that first grade teacher. But she didn't fight for me against that teacher, though, because she had no interest in sucking up to that teacher later on. That's how it was in Vietnam. If you protected your kids, you had to suck up to the teachers later with presents in order for your kid not to be picked on by the teachers.

Oh yeah another thing, now whenever I draw my eyeliners, I draw the left eye with left hand and the right eye with right hand. Same goes with the eyebrows.

[TearHere]

Oh yeah another thing, now whenever I draw my eyeliners, I draw the left eye with left hand and the right eye with right hand. Same goes with the eyebrows.

i've been trying to do thesame..but just can't with my inutile left hand. otherwise, if i insist i'd end up reapeating it..
i guess the only thing i can do with my left hand is type on the keyboard.. i guess the rest is for support to the right hand..and oh..holding the fork when eating with the left..how could i forget that.. :D

[brianmiller]

I'm right-handed, but I golf left-handed and I am definitely at a disadvantage when trying to buy gof equipment, especially here in Japan. You can find any brand or model club you want if your righthanded, you can try out the club if you want and often there are great bargains to be had. But there is a very limited selection of lefty stuff, which you can't try and is almost never on sale.

Boo Hoo!

[MissLT]

Interesting. I can't remember I goft with my right hand or left hand. :? I think I do it with my left hand. I think I do swing shots with my left hand. :? :?

[vahid]

Hello every body . i just enrolled in this site so as a start i selected this topic .
well in my opinion being left handed or right handed doesnot have any bad effect on people s life .
but some sientist belive that left handed live longer than right handed . :D

[iwantmore]

No at all if they know how to use with it :D .
People can get over difficulties if they all have encouragements ,right?

[r1lita]

Hi everybody :D

If let-handed people are desadvantaged? No, I dont thinks so. I'd rather say allmost of the genius are left handed and more other it's harder to guard on left-handed players than right-handed ones (talking about basketball and sports in general).

I got a left-handed homie and he seems not to be bothered

[pencil]

i am not sure whether there are differences about ability or mentality between left-handed and right-handed people. in my classes, some left-handed pupils learn really well, the others not. this is similarly right to the right-handed classmates.
from those fachts we should neither estmate nor underestimate one just on the basis of which hand he uses to write.
in the class we used to discuss this topic.my teacher said no,she doesnt find anything strange from this action. although she has taucht for over 30 years.
my teacher is a open women, she doesnt interest herself for that, but always for how you learn
my parents believe all we receive today is result of what we hard trained yesterday without depend on the left ot right hand.
what is about your opition?

[shadds]

My husband was left handed. When he was a school he was forced to write with his right hand. He is now right handed.

I used to write with my left hand, but then I was forced to write with my right hand in school. That teacher was horrible. I remember whenever she turned to other students, I would change back to my left hand since I had to put extra effort to write with my right hand, and it was extremely hard for me. Once time she caught me doing that; she told me if I ever did that again, she would have to chop my left hand off. Can you believe a thing some teacher would say to a six-year-old kid? I dislike teachers who are like this from that day on. She made my first grade sucked :x . All I could remember about it is she would chop my left hand off if I didn't write with my right hand.
Also, I remember coming home crying to my mom, and she wasn't really helpful. Gosh, she told me to learn to write with my right hand since I didn't know how to write with my left hand as much as my right hand; therefore, it wasn't that much of a difference. I was so mad. I refused to go to school the next day, but she dressed me up and took me to school that day.

I personally don't think it makes any difference;

Well, in biology, they don't link the differences between left and right hand with our personality and skills since we don't have many proofs; however, there is definitely a change to the way the brain would set up if one is left-handed and is forced to use the right hand. Not much of a change, but there is a change. It's like people who have lost their hands, so they learn how to use their feet. Well, switching from right to left hand won't make that dramatic change, but it will somehow change something inside the brain, don't you agree?

but I have noticed that most people that are right handed have neater hand writting :? .

See, in Vietnam, teachers hold first-grade students' hands and teach them how to write. If a student was left-handed like me and the teacher was right-handed, then it would be really hard for them to hold the student's hand to show that kid how to write correctly. This is the reason why my teacher forced me to use my right hand since she was right-handed. The first time she saw me using the left hand, she told me I was holding the pencil in the wrong hand. After looking at me holding the pencil with my right hand (I couldn't barely hold it), she said I was left-handed and I had to learn how to write with my right hand because left hand was not a correct way to write .
At home, parents hold their kids' hands to show them how to write, I think. And if you were left-handed, one of your kids would definitely be left-handed; thus, if you were forced to use the right hand, it would be hard to teach the kids how to write neatly and correctly. As a result, you would force your kids to write with right hand or they had to be on their own. Either way, they'd be on their own.

I have read somewhere that if a left hander is forced to use his right hand or vice-versa the person starts stammering or sluring while speaking.. and it is certain natural functioning of the brain that makes any boby righ or left hander...

[MissLT]

I didn't have that problem. I speak and pronounce my native language pretty well.

[shadds]

I didn't have that problem. I speak and pronounce my native language pretty well.

OK dear LennyeTran
But what i was quoting was the result of some statistical analysis.

[MissLT]

That I don't know much about it, but I think it only happens when there is a dramatic change. Otherwise, it shouldn't be a big effect. Let me check around to see, so I could exchange facts with you.