# The Left-Handed **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2003, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830 "2003-01-31T07:05:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/21 "2003-01-31T15:09:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SnugTheJoiner \* > \*\*About celebrated left-handers: > > We all know that Ned Flanders is left-handed, but have you noticed that Marge and Bart Simpson are too? > > And am I the only one who noticed that Mulan, in the Disney film, is left-handed? \*\* No, no you are not. Theoden was too, in The Two Towers. ---
**Author:** ![VenusProbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e495f1/32.png) [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/22 "2003-01-31T15:15:52Z")
My youngest daughter and I are lefties, my oldest daughter is ambidextrous, we are all brilliant. My SO is right handed, we still love her though. šŸ™‚ I use regular scissors and my mouse is on the right of my keyboard, ambi daughter writes RH but shoots baskets and kicks lefty, lefty daughter has trouble with regular scissors but does fine with mouse on the right and seems to be more creative than ambi daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Kn\_ckers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/96bed5/32.png) [@Kn\_ckers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kn_ckers)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/23 "2003-01-31T15:16:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*Whatā€™s the deal here? I agree with **cart**. Why is it hard to use an ordinary pair of scissors in your left hand? I do it. Or is this a joke like left handed screwdrivers? \*\* I have never figured out how to use right-handed scissors in my left hand - I can never make them cut. I didnā€™t even know it could be doneā€¦ Guess I must just be incredibly clumsy. I use scissors with my right hand. ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/24 "2003-01-31T15:37:44Z")
Thanks for making a lefty laugh,guys. I am a fourth generation lefty and my two siblings are also lefties. CG says t hat being left handed and a Virgo is the source of all my obsessiveness when it comes to scheduling. I plan everything right down to the minute (if I can) and if I deviate from that schedule for ANY reason,I start to freak out. And for the record, I also had a speech problem growing up.I could not pronounce my 'rā€™s and I stuttered (which I still do when Iā€™m extremely upset or nervous). IDBB Left On,Brothers and Sisters! ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/25 "2003-01-31T15:42:21Z")
Thatā€™s interesting, **Kn\*ckers**. You canā€™t really be incredibly clumsy, because you worked out how to use the scissors with what you would consider to be the ā€œwrongā€ hand. Try it with the left hand. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/26 "2003-01-31T15:44:03Z")
I mean, try it with the left hand _again_. ---
**Author:** ![VenusProbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e495f1/32.png) [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/27 "2003-01-31T16:03:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I\_Dig\_Bad\_Boys \* > \*\*CG says t hat being left handed and a Virgo is the source of all my obsessiveness when it comes to scheduling. I plan everything right down to the minute (if I can) and if I deviate from that schedule for ANY reason,I start to freak out. > \*\* Hey, Iā€™m a **LHV** too! I also freak out when schedule changes happen (which seems to be daily) I tell the kids we need to leave at 11:40, at 11:35 I tell them to get thier stuff and get in the car, the oldest shouts back ā€œI have to comb my hair and put my contacts in!ā€ OK now Iā€™m starting to freak out because that should have been done 2 hours ago and its gonna delay departure by 2-3 minutes and if the line is long at the espresso stand we wonā€™t get to dance class 5min early and youngest daughter needs that time to get ready! aarrggh! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/28 "2003-01-31T16:13:08Z")
Desmo, I have a feeling that you have a pair of really good scissors, where the blades are very flush next to each other. A cheap pair of scissors cannot be used in the wrong hand, as the blades are pushed away from each other. No contact, no cut. ---
**Author:** ![Mariachi\_Kitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@Mariachi\_Kitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mariachi_Kitty)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/29 "2003-01-31T16:14:17Z")
Iā€™m a righty with strong ambi tendanciesā€¦I can do everything but write well with my right hand. Everyone in my family is right-handed, except my paternal g-father, whoā€™s ambi. I sometimes have moments where Iā€™m doing something with one hand and get weirded out and realize later I usually use the opposite hand. Itā€™s confusing! Had a speech problem when young and am very mildly dyslexic. Oh, Iā€™m also very creative. I can do the logic thing, but only when I MAKE myself. Itā€™s not painful, but itā€™s not natural all the time, either. ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/30 "2003-01-31T16:21:59Z")
**VenusProbe** ā€“I think we should band togetherā€¦all LHVs,that is.šŸ™‚ CG thinks I am crazy for having ā€˜schedule-itisā€™ as he calls it but I have to have my life scheduled because at least then I know whatā€™s supposed to occur when and all hell doesnā€™t break loose for me (mentally). IDBB ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/31 "2003-01-31T16:23:33Z")
**Lefties unite! We have nothing to lose but our rights!.** Hmm. Still needs work. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/32 "2003-01-31T16:26:53Z")
Since no one has actually answered the people asking about why scissors are a trial for lefties: A lot of scissors have ergonomically molded handles designed to fit your right hand. If you try to use them with your left hand, it feels uncomfortable and can even cause pain. Also, the placement of the blades (i.e., upper blade on the right) favors righties as well. With most lightweight cutting jobs the bias isnā€™t always noticeable, but if youā€™re forced to really bear down on something youā€™ll find that in your left hand, the blades of a pair of righty scissors will separate slightly instead of being forced tightly together. Needless to say, this greatly hampers their ability to cut. Some scissors that are officially ā€œleftiesā€ simply have left-hand-aligned handlesā€¦ but right-hand-oriented blades. These scissors are almost useless. Oh, and **mogiaw**? A left-handed ballpoint pen would be a joke, but a left-handed _fountain_ pen is not. The difference is the nib; a regular fountain pen has a straight tip, i.e. parallel to the long axis of the pen, but a left-handed nib bends to the right at about a 45 degree angle. This makes it easier to write with your hand crooked around the way many lefties write to keep their hands from smearing the ink. Other famous lefties include almost all of the Muppets. Why? Because most of the puppeteers are righties, and use their right arms and hands to reach up inside the muppets to animate their mouths. This leaves the left hand to work one of the muppetā€™s arms. (some Muppets, like Fozzie bear and Rowlf the Dog, actually have two puppeteers each supplying one arm - those are the exceptions.) ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/33 "2003-01-31T16:42:49Z")
Ah. I understand the scissors problem now. You canā€™t just squeeze the scissor handles together and expect them to cut. You have to also apply a torque (twisting action) to the handles to force the blades together. Once youā€™ve learned how to do that, you can do it with either hand. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/34 "2003-01-31T16:45:51Z")
Another **LHV** here. **VenusProbe** I could have written your exact same post. šŸ™‚ I write left-handed but learned early on to turn the paper instead of my hand so no ink smears for me (although I get some weird looks when Iā€™m writing a check and it looks like Iā€™m writing downhill. After developing severe pain in my left arm (mouse-elbow?), I taught myself to use my computer mouse right-handed and now I wouldnā€™t do it any other way. As for the difficulty using scissors, many come with a much larger hole or are molded for the right thumb which is quite uncomfortable used in the left hand. Apparently researchers cannot agree on the cause of left-handedness but I found some interesting info here. [Retired Product](http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/12/121001_lefthanded). ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/35 "2003-01-31T16:51:47Z")
Ignore that link. It didnā€™t work. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/36 "2003-01-31T16:58:22Z")
Left handed mouseā€¦heh heh heh! One of my truly evil left hand stories. A friend noticed my mouse set up to the left of my monitor and asked me about it. I told him it was a left handed mouse and I ordered it special from Dell when I ordered my computer. He fell for it. He told his sister, who has a left handed child. She asked for a left handed mouse when she ordered a computer for her child for Christmas. Imagine her surprise when it was explained to her how to make a mouse left handed! I so love doing evil left handed stuff. **bwaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa!** ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/37 "2003-01-31T17:00:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*Ah. I understand the scissors problem now. > > You canā€™t just squeeze the scissor handles together and expect them to cut. You have to also apply a torque (twisting action) to the handles to force the blades together. Once youā€™ve learned how to do that, you can do it with either hand. \*\* This does work - I use the same motion when I need to use my wifeā€™s Gingher fabric shears, which are right-hand-oriented. BUTā€¦ itā€™s tiring. How wonderful it would be to simply cut something without the extra effort. Also, it doesnā€™t mitigate the problem caused by the ergonomic handles (granted, not all scissors have such handles). I use my computer mouse with my left hand, but I donā€™t reverse the buttons the way hard-core lefties do - IOW, I use my middle finger to click and my index finger to ā€œright-click.ā€ The result is that ANYONE else who uses my computer is screwed - the righties have to move the mouse and pad to the other side of the keyboard, and the lefties keep clicking the wrong button. _snicker_ ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/38 "2003-01-31T17:16:45Z")
My maternal grandmother is a lefty but was forced to use her right hand as a child (tied behind the desk in school and everything ā€“ ack!) and therefore is now ambidextrous. My mother is hard-core lefty; she does reverse her mouse buttons. Her seventh-grade teacher taught her to write without getting ink all over her hand. Itā€™s very simple. Turn the paper the other direction! Her handwriting, which had been atrocious, is better than mine most of the time. (Yes, Iā€™m a rightie. One of the few normal characteristics I have. _g_) My ex, on the other hand, curls his hand to write but mouses right-handed. I have no clue how he uses a rightie mouse. I canā€™t use a lefty mouse to save my life. Iā€™ve had to a couple of times on my momā€™s computer and itā€™s just a disaster. Now sheā€™s gone and married another lefty. Iā€™m outnumbered! HELP! ---
**Author:** ![Merla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Merla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merla)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/39 "2003-01-31T17:21:51Z")
I know _Iā€™m_ proud to be a lefty- but my biggest problem is the rightie desks. Iā€™m still at school and there are SO many desks that are just those half desks and I have to twist my hand around to use the frigging things. Iā€™m for lefty equality in school!!! I also tried doing caligraphy with wet ink, which proved to be futile, since my left hand always smudges across what Iā€™ve just written. Whenever I try to write on an overhead projector people call it the lefty blackout. I have a book of famous left-handed people, and several shirts that say things like ā€œEveryone is left-handed until they commit their first sinā€. Pretty stupid, but something for us lefties to wear. Merla ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830/40 "2003-01-31T17:27:02Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally Posted by whiterabbit:_ > Now sheā€™s gone and married another lefty. Iā€™m outnumbered! HELP! Good job Agents 666, 3.1416, and Version 8.0. (AKA **whiterabbitā€™s** ex, mother and stepfather.) Weā€™ve ensnared another one of those feeble righties! **BWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAA!** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-left-handed/151830.md?page=3)