Living the Lefty Life in a Righty World

I’m a Southpaw! I’ve always been proud to be in this elite 8-15% of the world population. Did you know both Barack Obama and John McCain are left-handed? Therefore, in 2008 you had no choice but to elect a left-handed President! Four of the last seven Presidents were left-handed, and seven Presidents total have been […]
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I'm a Southpaw! I've always been proud to be in this elite 8-15% of the world population. Did you know both Barack Obama and John McCain are left-handed? Therefore, in 2008 you had no choice but to elect a left-handed President! Four of the last seven Presidents were left-handed, and seven Presidents total have been lefties (16%). Fascinating, don't you think?

I polled the other GeekMoms and it turns out I'm possibly the only one (out of those who responded) who is left-handed. I was particularly intrigued by this, since there are around 20 of us and if I'm truly the only lefty, that would make our group only 5% left-handed.

(This was before our newest writers joined the team in April, so there might be a lefty among them...)

Left-handers also have an advantage in sports, particularly in baseball, since they can add an element that most players don't train for.

I remember my parents making sure I had left-handed scissors for school each year. And I remember my mom struggling to teach me to use chopsticks, knitting needles and crochet hooks as a young girl. Lucky for me, though, I play sports (to include fishing) and musical instruments right-handed. I also use firearms (for my Air Force work) right-handed.

In today's world of spending most of my time at a computer, there's very little that I need to do that really reminds me (and the world around me) of my sinistrality.

But every once in a while...I'm reminded. And sometimes it can be downright frustrating! Most often, I'm reminded in the kitchen. And today while making a fruit smoothie with my new Ninja Blender, I was reminded once again.

Here are some other kitchen gadgets that favor right-handers:

“I used to work hard as a fisherman, but now it's impossible for me to survive off of fishing and hunting, so I became a teacher,” says 32-year-old Nikolai. “I miss the hard work. I exercise to keep my muscles and to not get depressed.”

John Knight: "While seal hunting looks pretty other-worldly to someone living in San Francisco, it’s also everyday life for these communities and is sort of tearing them apart at their seams. When you understand the tension there, photos like the one of Nikolai become really profound."

Photo: Andrea Gjestvang

Photo credit (required): The Bui Brothers

So the next time you are shopping for your favorite sinistral southpaw, consider ambidextrous kitchen gadgets :-)