Today is International Left-Handers' Day! In honor of all you lefties out there, here is a letter by one girl who wrote in to tell us about it."Being Left-Handed
“The left-handed are precious; they take places which are inconvenient for the rest.” -Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
Many people who are right-handed feel discriminated against by leftie clubs, web-sites, and calendars. Many times I’ve had friends ask me where I met one of the people I hang out with on the internet. Usually it’s from some fun lefty site. They may feel bad, but look at the world through our perspective. What many people do not realize, is we are discriminated against every day.
Numbers of inconveniences follow us around, such as scissors, desks, baseball mitts, and eating (yes, sitting by righties is a bit uncomfortable). Did you know over 90% of scissors are right handed, 9% is neutral and 1% left handed. Also, if 6% of the population is left handed, why are only .5% of desks left-handed desks in schools? There are no desks useful to lefties in my school; therefore, my arm is always hanging off the desk.
Everyday language is also harsh towards those who are left-handed. The French word for lefties is 'gauche' which means: Socially awkward; lacking grace or tact in social situations, in English. The French word for righties is 'droit'. From this word we have derived words such as 'adroit', which is the same as skillful. The Latin language also displays this. Lefties get the word 'sinister', when righties get the word 'dexter', which gives us the word 'dexterous'!
Still, I love being left-handed. Lefties are more likely to be more creative. We think with the right side of our brain. This is the side that thinks abstractly, and in ways of deeper meanings. We have more people in history that have changed the world. We can claim to Charlemagne, Julius Caesar, Prince Charles of England, and Prince William of England, Helen Keller, Einstein, Jay Leno, Oprah, and many more. I suggest http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/left.html as a great site to find hundreds of fa
mous left-handers.
mous left-handers. We are the minority, but strong enough to hold the majority. When my rightie friends think I’m excluding them from the life of a leftie, I tell them I’m not. Righties have excluded themselves over years by excluding us. Lefties have brought the world years of invention, powerful leadership, and entertainment. Any leftie will say they’d rather cut off their right hand than convert to right-handedness. We aren’t bitter, but we’re proud. We observe August 13th as International Left Hander’s Day not because we want to discriminate against righties, but in order to celebrate what being leftie means: To have a history, present, and future of great people in which you share a common trait with that only 6% of today’s population possesses.
By: Madeline Thompson
Age 13"
By: Madeline Thompson
Age 13"
Like Madeline said, there are a lot of interesting sites out there for lefties. Here's just one, but there are many more; go explore! Finally, hats off to you lefties and enjoy celebrating International Left-Handers' Day!
*Have any special day or event you love? Write about it and send it in.
Peace, friends.
7 comments:
Hurrah for lefties! I should have done some celebrating yesterday, huh? ;)
I think it's great that lefty's have their own day, and it is true that they are discriminated against. However, it is very unfair to say that they are more creative. It all depends on the person, and if they decide to use their creativity or not! And in our schools, desks are just rectangles, no discrimination.
Well, I don't think that anyone has discriminated against left-handed people. My dad is left-handed and he has never been discriminated against. I also find it discriminating that they don't have a "Righties" Day. Sorry,that is just my opinion....
I know lots of left-handed people, both mean and nice. I think it's unfair that people have discriminated against lefties, some people even going far enough to claim that left-handedness is a sign of the devil. It's good they have a Lefties Day, to help boost the self-confidence of lefties who aren't proud of the hand they write with.(Even "write" sounds like "right"!) Some people might say righties need a day, but why? Righties are the majority, and have not been called satists, as far as I know. I find the brain fascinating, and it is interesting to know that lefties use the creative side of their brain more than righties.
I think they aren't discriminated against. It just so happens that they are the minority! My dad is also left handed!
I'm left-handed-- big whoop! It doesn't really change who I am. It is a small problem, and it is jut part of life to learn to deal with wrong scissors and desks!!... Those desks are annoying, though...
Anyway, go lefties!!!
I love being a lefty! Go lefty's! My right eye is dominant so I am supposed to be a righty but I chose wisely and have been a lefty for all of my life. I love being the only one in class that writes with her elbow off the edge of the desk.
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