13 August 2008

Lefties of the world unite

Today is international Left Handers Day the one dayof the year where sinisterity is celebrated! All across the world ciotogs rise up against the dextrous oppressors!

Interestingly Stone Age implements discovered seem equally divided between left and right and studies of cave drawings have indicated a preference for the left hand. It is only when tools became more sophisticated that a clear hand preference emerged. The right hand preference may have originated in sun worship.

In the Northern hemisphere you have to face south to follow the sun and move from left to right until the suns sets in the west. This gave moving to the right and the right hand side a great significance. Another theory says that as the heart is on the left hand side, a shield would have to be in the left hand to defend it and any weapon therefore had to be held in the right, which became the dominant hand.

Ah who knows if these theories are true but today is our day in the sun.

16 comments:

god-free morals said...

I demand an International eats-left-handed-but-is-otherwise-mostly-right-handed Day, it seems only fair ;-)

jams o donnell said...

I' sure there's a day we can set aside for that one God-Free!

Anonymous said...

I shall go and have a toast to us superior handers - but I wonder why such a momentuous day has not been widely publicised. Must be a right handed conspiracy.

By the way, god-free morals - eating "left handed" is the sensible thing for your righties. I eat "right handed" since it strikes me as ridiculous the way most righties swap the fork when they put down the knife.

Ergo, fork should always be in the dominant hand. You are correct - as am I (of course!!)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I'm glad you "lefties" are having your day! My grandfather remembered being caned at school for being left handed.

jams o donnell said...

Perhaps we should name left and right handed superior and wrong Heather!

Agreed Welshcakes. I'm glad those days are long gone

CherryPie said...

My brother is a bit like God-free morals. He always used to swap hands when when playing badminton when we were. No wonder I kept losing ;-)

jams o donnell said...

Hmm that can't help. One hand or another methinks, Cherie!

Sean Jeating said...

Some minutes ago I watched the Hungarian pianist Geza Loso performing on his piano for left handers. He says he became much better since.

As for an Elhbiomrh Day: The Day will come, Chris. :)

Anonymous said...

Best regards on your day. I'm not left handed, but I thank God for the social progress that we've made. Imagine having parents that would try to "teach" you to be right handed just 100 years ago, and all for the sake of social conformity.

jams o donnell said...

Wow Sean. THat ounds like a fascinating piano, What does Elhbiomrh mean.

Perhaps a comhdheas day is needed too

I'm glad we've moved on from those days Randall

Colin Campbell said...

Do you type left handed?

jams o donnell said...

I touch type.. inaccurately but with both hands!

Sean Jeating said...

Ha, Jams, sorry for being lazy. Don't like abbreviations, myself.

Elhbiomrh Day = eats-left-handed-but-is-otherwise-mostly-right-handed Day. :)

As for the left-handed piano: The pianist said, earlier he had to focus on the piano, now with the keyboard in reverse he could play with much more emotions and empathy.
Very interesting, isn't it?

jams o donnell said...

Ah LOL Sean! The left hand piano sounds intriguing!

jmb said...

What a good idea. I have a son so left handed that when he had an accident and had to have surgery on his left hand he was crying with frustration, even at eating. He was just a kid after all.

I am fairly ambidextrous, right handed in most but very much left handed in some things so I wonder if I was forced to change although I can't remember it.

jams o donnell said...

Bloody hell jmb I can imagine his frustration. Actually I only really started using my left hand after I broke my right one aged 7. My sister is left handed and my dad is ambidextrous. I do virtually everthing left handed although I do write with my right had part of the time