“Looking through the medical literature, I find studies reporting that lefties have a higher accident rate, are more likely to have their fingers amputated due to power-tool accidents, suffer more wrist fractures, etc. What’s more, lefties suffer a higher incidence of allergies, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and certain learning disabilities.”
With the exception of allergies and epilepsy, I’m surporised no one has made the argument (and if they have, I apologize for not poring through the annals of moldy dope) that the evidence could be used to indict the right-hander’s conspiracy against the right-headed. How many power tools are designed to be operated with the right hand? How many fractures and injuries occur in making the adaptation? What neuroses and educational challenges might living in such a subtly sinister (or, technically, dexter) environment inspire? Consider the scissors.
Because I draw with my left hand, my mother assumed I would need the green-handled ‘lefty’ scissors. Due to the highly abstruse mechanical properties of these apparently simple contraption, they just won’t cut if used with the ‘wrong’ hand, as I tried to do.
Although I suffered no permanent damage, I do remember some unsuccesful contortions of the fingers in the attempt to cut paper. Persistence would doubtlessly have led to injury. Luckily, mom’s rarely buy radial-arm saws for toddlers.
I hated those green lefty scissors. I used to frustrate my kindegarten teacher by refusing to use them and using the “normal” scissors in my left hand.
The only other creation of the righty world that ever gave me significant grief were butter knives. Ever tried using one with your right hand? Can’t be done.
I’m still willing to see it all as evidence of a conspiracy, though.
Hey Lucretia, are you teasing us about butter knives? I can’t recall ever using one with my right hand, but I probably have, at least once. All the butter knives I know of are totally symmetrical.
You know, the ones bent at an angle, specifically for use on butter? You see them mostly in resturants these days, but I remember lots of people having them at home when I was a kid.
Hmm…did I come off sounding persecuted there, or what?
Let me clarify then…
I do, in fact have the above afflictions. They were caused by a bad DPT vaccine reaction(all except the leftiness).
So, in my case, I’d say it didn’t conform to the statement in the OP, which I still find to be quite stereotypical.
And I don’t think there enough specialized items(like handguns) that are converted over to lefty use. And, suffice it to say, lefty scissors NEVER worked!
I probably should have attached more smilies to the original post. I think it’s a valid argument to make about the statistical likelihood of lefties to have wrist injuries, but any interpretation of what I said as ‘inflammatory’ was a miscommunication on my part.
Don’t trip Dystopos, I was in a bad mood I think…And I realized it later-hence the second post.
Since I do have the above listed maladies, but they were due to an outside source, and no one else has posted as having them, I’d say that they were deceiving.
The quoted statements were from the article to which I linked. The rest was conjecture. (i.e I’m sure evidence exists, but I’m not interested in making the case)