Southpaw
It's a rough world for lefties. Common tasks that you take for granted are often quite difficult for lefties since we live in a right-handed-centric world (Yes, I know I just made up a word). I bet you've never thought about most of these things.
We have to be careful where we sit while dining out because we don't want to pump elbows with lowly right-handers. We string our necklaces and belts the opposite direction so we can latch the clasps. And zippers flaps should be open to the left, not the right. I struggled for 30 minutes trying to get my keys on the metal key ring. It's not 100% certain, but most lefties string their shoelaces differently from righthanders. Doorknobs twist "backwards" to lefties. Playing cards are hard to fan becuase the numbers are printed in the wrong corner. The grooves on knifes are on the wrong side. We have a hard time setting our watches b/c the knobs are on the right. Some even argue that "clockwise" is not ideal for lefties in that watches should move counter-clockwise. Also, lefties want corkscrews that screw counter-clockwise. Cameras have the shutter and viewfinder oriented for righthanders. Can openers, scissors(the blades are switched on left ones), and pencil sharpeners all had to be resigned. Pens are even right-handed because "normal" pens have ink and ball points that are designed to be dragged along the page. However, lefties push the pen and therefore the ink doesn't come out evenly. Other writing problems are spiral notebooks and binders. Typically when handing in an assignment, we first write on the side where the hole are on the left. For a lefty it's hard because your hand is constantly pumping against it and you also smear ink over your hand. I can't even enjoy reading the words printed on pencils while I'm writing. They look upsidedown. Tape measurers and rulers have scales that go up the wrong way. In addition, we have a limited selection of sports equipment to choose from since most manufacturers make less lefthanded merchandise than righthanded. I wish that address books were made opening right to left, and the letters corresponded as such. Originally guitars were only right handed. If you look closely at any old pics of jimi hendrix you'll see that he took a right guitar, restrung it, and held it upside down. You can tell because the pick guard is above the strings and not below as it usually is. Speaking of picks, we need left-handed thumb picks and chord books too! And while computers are supposedly cutting edge, their accessories are slowly catching up. Mouses themselves are usually neutral, but the buttons can be changed. I recommend going into the control panel and switching the mouse buttons to get a glimpse into the inconveniences (sp?) we deal with daily. However, I did find a special keyboard in which the alphabet keys, numberpad, and arrow keys are all detachable into three pieces. I re-arranged it so that the numberpad is on the far left, arrows in the middle, and letter on the right. I even had to look extra hard for a joystick that wasn't made "easy-grip" for right handers.
I wish I lived in the Southern Hemisphere because there the water drains counter-clockwise, just how lefties like it.
We have to be careful where we sit while dining out because we don't want to pump elbows with lowly right-handers. We string our necklaces and belts the opposite direction so we can latch the clasps. And zippers flaps should be open to the left, not the right. I struggled for 30 minutes trying to get my keys on the metal key ring. It's not 100% certain, but most lefties string their shoelaces differently from righthanders. Doorknobs twist "backwards" to lefties. Playing cards are hard to fan becuase the numbers are printed in the wrong corner. The grooves on knifes are on the wrong side. We have a hard time setting our watches b/c the knobs are on the right. Some even argue that "clockwise" is not ideal for lefties in that watches should move counter-clockwise. Also, lefties want corkscrews that screw counter-clockwise. Cameras have the shutter and viewfinder oriented for righthanders. Can openers, scissors(the blades are switched on left ones), and pencil sharpeners all had to be resigned. Pens are even right-handed because "normal" pens have ink and ball points that are designed to be dragged along the page. However, lefties push the pen and therefore the ink doesn't come out evenly. Other writing problems are spiral notebooks and binders. Typically when handing in an assignment, we first write on the side where the hole are on the left. For a lefty it's hard because your hand is constantly pumping against it and you also smear ink over your hand. I can't even enjoy reading the words printed on pencils while I'm writing. They look upsidedown. Tape measurers and rulers have scales that go up the wrong way. In addition, we have a limited selection of sports equipment to choose from since most manufacturers make less lefthanded merchandise than righthanded. I wish that address books were made opening right to left, and the letters corresponded as such. Originally guitars were only right handed. If you look closely at any old pics of jimi hendrix you'll see that he took a right guitar, restrung it, and held it upside down. You can tell because the pick guard is above the strings and not below as it usually is. Speaking of picks, we need left-handed thumb picks and chord books too! And while computers are supposedly cutting edge, their accessories are slowly catching up. Mouses themselves are usually neutral, but the buttons can be changed. I recommend going into the control panel and switching the mouse buttons to get a glimpse into the inconveniences (sp?) we deal with daily. However, I did find a special keyboard in which the alphabet keys, numberpad, and arrow keys are all detachable into three pieces. I re-arranged it so that the numberpad is on the far left, arrows in the middle, and letter on the right. I even had to look extra hard for a joystick that wasn't made "easy-grip" for right handers.
I wish I lived in the Southern Hemisphere because there the water drains counter-clockwise, just how lefties like it.
