Left-handedness

Barbel

Just an idle thought: how many of us here are left-handed?

I'll start with... me.

Thunderbird 2

Bond fan? Check.
Scottish? Check.
Left handed? Checkmate. - We have a pattern lock!!

Thunderpussy

Very Sinister indeed. I'm happy to say I'm Normal not like the "Lefties"
I had a brother who was left handed but it was in the days when you were forced to
be right handed, so over years he simply became right handed. Left hand tied behind
back, that sort of thing so he had to learn to write with his right......... but they were
happy days.

Barbel

Thunderbird 2 wrote:

Bond fan? Check.
Scottish? Check.
Left handed? Checkmate. - We have a pattern lock!!

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hehadlotsofguts

I'm left handed

Barbel

3 so far...

hehadlotsofguts

Pain in the arse, trying to use a tin opener and being able to write properly.

Barbel

)

Welcome to my world!

Bond44

I am not left handed but always shot better left than right in the good old days (just felt more natural). Tactically I was always put at the front when going around certain corners so it was useful at times. Then in the early 90’s they issued a right fire only weapons system - b*ggered me for a few years I can tell you. Almost back to tying ones hand behind your back but had to retrain my muscle memory. So glad they eventually gave me a pistol in latter years which I could use in either hand!

My brother in law is a leftie and it was through seeing him struggle with certain things you realise how much of an impact it can have and just how much kit is out there with a right hand bias.

Cheers :007)

Westward_Drift

I was ambidextrous as a small child but trained myself to be right handed when I learned to write.

Frigiliana

Another here was caned as a child to try and make me write right handed, didn't work , always wondered if my left-handedness had anything to do with getting my b & d wrong way round?

Number24

This may surprise readers of the political thread, but I'm not a leftie )
But I shoot with my left because of my left eye dominance.

hehadlotsofguts

I keep seeing posts on here about people being caned at school for being left handed and being forced to use thier right hand. Why was there so much prejudice against left handed people at that time.

Bond44

hehadlotsofguts wrote:

I keep seeing posts on here about people being caned at school for being left handed and being forced to use thier right hand. Why was there so much prejudice against left handed people at that time.

My nan was left handed and suffered discipline measures at school and home. When I questioned her she said it was just down to beliefs at the time. Her parents saw it as wrong because she was different to others and school as some sort of defect you could be trained out of to remove it.

Truth was it’s just nature’s way and there is nothing wrong with it in reality. But many suffered due to probably social pressure or belief (at one point my Nan was described as a ‘Devils’ child just for being so at her convent - yes really).

Thank god times have changed.

Cheers :007)

Number24

Could part of the negative attitudes be because left-handiness might be a problem in the military? Back in the day most men did their national service and nearly everyone used bolt-action rifles. I remember the cocking lever was on the "wrong" side when I fired the AG3 (HK G3) making cocking the rifle slower for me. It was also difficult to find a gas mask with the filter on the right side. When wearing standard gas mask I couldn't put my head next to the stock of the rifle to aim properly when aiming. When perhaps 10% of the men are left-handiness (a guestimation) this could be a real problem.

caractacus potts

what would have been the evolutionary reasons for right-handedness becoming dominant?
are people all around the world typically right-handed or is it a Euro-western thing?
was it some obscure cultural reason that has had a long term effect on the gene pool?

obviously the gene for left-handedness is not fatal, as it keeps recurring, yet somehow the right-handers breed more successfully generation after generation.

JTM

At least here in the Australian Defence Force it’s not a problem at all; we have a few LH rifles in all our armouries for those special people. Only differences are the sides of the charging handle and ejection port - small changes but it makes life a lot easier for LH people shooting.

Number24

That's very nice of the ADF, but I bet it wasn't the case a few decades ago when teachers tried to eradicate left-handedness.

Thunderpussy

I believe you must be right handed to play polo.

VesperMelograno

Or a conductor.

Thunderpussy

The word Sinister means left in Latin. ( Dexter = right )
So fear or mistrust goes back a long time.

caractacus potts

...waitaminnit!
a left-handed bass player, lives in Scotland...
Barbel is your mailing address the Mull of Kintyre by any chance?

Dirty Punker

Not left handed but my sister was ambidextrous and simply trained herself to write with her right hand.

However, if you must know my left hand is reserved for other things.
What that may be is up to your imagination :v

Barbel

caractacus potts wrote:

...waitaminnit!
a left-handed bass player, lives in Scotland...
Barbel is your mailing address the Mull of Kintyre by any chance?

:007) Sshhh...

CoolHandBond

I am ambidextrous but the only thing I can't do with my left hand is play tennis. Everything else I can do perfectly well with both hands.

Thunderpussy

But has it affected your eyesight ?

CoolHandBond

Definitely as I wear glasses )

Dryden

Westward_Drift wrote:

I was ambidextrous as a small child but trained myself to be right handed when I learned to write.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous