Unique Problems Of Left Handed People

Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 17:41

The problems of left handed people are like tender thorns, pricking them softly but, constantly. Being a leftie can be unexpectedly funny at times but they only know what genuine problems they face every day. A majority of human beings are right handed, the small minority are oppressed without being intended to. Our society, that once considered the use of left hand inappropriate, even 'unclean', has now advanced enough to accommodate left handed people. But have all their day to day problems been solved?

Here are some of the unique problems that left handed people face during the course of their lives.

Unique Problems Of Left Handed People:

1. Left Hand Scissors: A natural leftie cannot use a normal pair of scissors. There is a special kind of scissors called left hand scissors that are specially made for lefties. Many people who write with their left hand manage to use normal scissors, but then they are ambidextrous. This leads to a problem because you have to carry your own pair of scissors everywhere.

2. Arm Benches: The normal flap down benches that are common in high schools and colleges cannot be used by left handers. This is because the arm rest is on the right side. Usually, the right arm is the writing arm, so, you can keep it on the arm rest while writing. But for lefties, its reversed. Most schools keep a couple of benches for left handers these days.

3. Writing With Your Left Hand: The most obvious proof of being left handed is writing with the left hand. This basic difference poses many challenges. A pen or pencil is expected to glide across the paper but, lefties tend to pull it towards themselves. This makes writing a tedious task with continuous adjustments.

4. Left Handed Guitar: Talent chooses unusual people to bestow itself. Left handers cannot play the normal guitar because their playing arm is blocked. You would be surprised out of your wits to know that best of the guitarists have overcome this problem to become legends. The list includes two members of the Forever 27 club, Kurt Cobain and Jimmy Hendrix. But this is the knocker, Beatles lead guitarist Paul McCartney played as a left handed guitar!

5. Handshake: Even a simple handshake to exchange greetings can be a source of embarrassment for left handed people. It is their natural instinct to stretch out their left hand for a handshake. But due to social norms, they have to curb their natural instincts. This kind of forced taming of instincts creates confusion in the movements of a person.

Approximately 10 per cent of the world's population comprises of left handed people. They have several other day to day problems in this world that is so technically 'right'.