Left Always Seems To Not Be Right

The Devil’s dominant hand and the possible mark of a witch, left handed individuals have been discriminated against for centuries. But why? Could it be the small percentage of the world’s population they make up? Or perhaps the implications of dark forces that are associated behind being a “Southpaw”?

While it is completely acceptable to be a lefty now, that was unfortunately not the case for many individuals a long time ago. The science behind the determination of hand dominance is still a bit of a mystery; but many scientists have tried to make sense of the seemingly rare gene required to cause the brain’s preference of the left-hand. It is still something not completely understood.

For any person who writes with the left (like myself), you probably know the feeling of sitting in that incredibly small high school desk. We all know the ones, the ones from actual hell itself. These ones:

You see, the wooden part you write on is attached to the right side of the seat, easily accessible  for those who write with the hand of that side. Those who do not must contort their body into difficult positions in order to write comfortably, usually inviting a teacher to accuse them of cheating on their leadership quiz but I totally wasn’t, my body was facing the wall how could I be cheating? I chose this spot specifically to avoid this accusation; but you think I’m cheating off the wall! By god, you are lucky if you get a left handed desk in your classroom, but then you have to fight for it with every southpaw in your class and it is usually not even worth it because they are always broken and/or wobbly.

On another note, unfortunately many young left-handed children were beaten in Catholic schools back in the day for writing with “the hand of Satan”. If you have ever been forced to write with the opposite hand of what you are meant to write with, it can be incredibly uncomfortable. I remember my grandfather telling me how he was hit on the hands and wrists with a ruler by the nuns in his school for writing with his left. He would laugh when he recalled how he would write left handed on purpose just to piss them off and to show them how much he didn’t care about their dumb rules and they could never change him. The reason I am so confident in this unique quality is because of him. He would always tell me to never be ashamed of it and that it makes me different than others in the best way.

Using the left hand is always associated with artistic ability, but is it really true? With such famous (assumed) lefties such as Vincent Van Gogh and Leonardo Da Vinci, it is assumed that lefties are more artistically inclined. This is not always the case as many lefties go on to become doctors and scientists as well as many righties become artists or actors. It depends more on what portion of the brain you think with primarily. The right being the creative side and the left being the logic.

In the seventeenth century, many left handed people were trialed as witches and burned at the stake. This was because, based on religion, the Devil baptised his followers with his left hand and in France it was rumoured that witches greeted the Devil with the left-hand. That rumour spread (like most rumours do) and soon a large portion of the world believed that the left was a sign of evil. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 for being a witch, there is no exact record of her being left-handed and she may have been portrayed this way in literature and art to make her seem evil to the world and to justify killing her. Going back to religion, in Christianity, the bible includes many references to the Lord’s preference for the right and disdain for the left.  The right hand is the hand that gives the blessing and makes the sign of the cross. The left was unclean and Satanic. Some examples of this bias are “He right hand of the lord doeth valiantly, the right hand of the lord is exalted” (Psalm 118 vv15,16)  or “Then he will say unto those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25: verse 41). This led to the forced writing with the right hand that many left-handed children had to experience, making their writing very messy and created the stigma of left handed people being stupid or “cack-handed” (meaning incredibly clumsy).

Only about 10% of the population is left-handed (mostly men) and according to one study, lefties die about nine years earlier that right handed people. This could be due to the fact that most utensils, such as knives, are manufactured for the right and could be quite dangerous. According to a test done by Halpern and Coren Many people die trying to operate heavy machinery built for righties. But what causes the left handed trait? Well, as it is a recessive trait, there are several theories, none of which have been exactly proven. A common theory is that the brain divides its labour among the two hemispheres of the brain (left and right). For most people, the left side of the brain controls the speaking, causing right-handedness, also predicting that left-handed people have the reversed division of labour. As it is such an uncommon trait, it is actually rather unlikely for you to have left handed children, even if both parents are left-handed as well. A large survey showed only 1.4% of left-handers had two left-handed parents, 24% had one left-handed parent and 75% had two right-handed parents. Many people have opened stores that cater to lefties, carrying can openers, scissors and other appliances. Most of these stores are actually owned and runned by right-handed people.

In our society today, it is completely acceptable to be a lefty. But unfortunately many children have been affected by the stigma in the past. This genetic trait is still a rarity but the percentage is increasing. It is not completely understood why these people are considered so different for everyone else, but it has to do with how adults in the past looked down upon their children for being different and tried to ¨fix¨ them. It is entirely normal to write with the left, as it it is entirely normal to write with the right. It just depends on your genetics and how your brain works.


References
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-causes-some-people-t/

http://theconversation.com/are-left-handed-people-more-gifted-than-others-our-study-suggests-it-may-hold-true-for-maths-79059

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness#Causes

http://www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk/being-lh/children/chance-lh-child.html

http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/lefty-probability.html

http://www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk/being-lh/lh-info/myths.html

 

 

Images – 
http://www.foldingchairdepot.com/p/National-Public-Seating-5200-Series-Premium-Steel-Folding-Chair—Set-of-2__NPS-5200-SERIES.aspx

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/35677022027122831/?lp=true

 

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2 thoughts on “Left Always Seems To Not Be Right

  1. Dear Emily,

    I absolutely love your headline! It took me a couple of reads to truly appreciate it and I am glad I did. This topic was something I have heard about in bits and pieces from friends and the internet; I am glad you created this great article using so many different sources – including your own!

    To improve I would suggest trying to structure your piece so that your ideas and stories flow more smoothly with each other. I found myself at some places a bit jarred because there was a completely different subject being discussed once I got used to one idea. I do understand how difficult it is to have so much information at your fingertips and a word limit, so it can be difficult to balance the two.

    Excellent work and will definitely read more!

    Sincerely,
    Nimrat

  2. Dear Emily,
    I loved how you added a short anecdote into your feature article of when you were accused of cheating on a leadership test even though you were facing the wall. I felt like this short story brought a humorous aspect to your piece, as well I felt like it made a strong personal connection between you and the topic itself.

    As Nimrat mentioned in her comment, at times your ideas were all over the place and it was difficult to follow. I suggest formatting your paragraphs in a way that all your ideas transition smoothly.

    Very interesting and compelling topic. Can’t wait to read more from you!

    Sincerely,
    Natalie. ✰

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