Out of the 57 listed forms of discrimination on Wikipedia, one happened to pique my interest. In Times New Roman size 8, tucked away at the bottom of the screen, was a hyperlink titled “Handedness.” With my left hand resting on the mouse, I clicked on the intriguing phrase in blue.
Yes, I’m left-handed. So is approximately 10% of the population; or 800 million people. Which is why when my right-handed classmates stare and declare, “I didn’t notice you were a leftie?!,” I wish it had remained unnoticed. Right-handers raising their eyebrows on seeing someone defy their norms of dexterity is not a new phenomenon- as I would discover in that Wikipedia article.
Left-handedness may be described as ‘eccentric’ today (or as the Americans say, out of left field), but ‘sinister’ would be a more apt term earlier. In fact, a quick google search on the etymology of ‘sinister’ reveals that its root in a Latin term for left. What right-handers thought was so malicious and underhanded about a different preferred hand, I will never know. Yet, people believed it- it was a common belief that poison administered with the left was more effective. In medieval folklore, the Devil was depicted as left-handed to signify his evil nature.
The stigma trickled down the decades, seeping through different traditions. In fact, this “right is right” mentality has been a major uniting force among cultures. In Arab culture, eating with your left hand was a one-way ticket out of the dining table; after all, the left is only reserved for removal of dirt! As for Indian stereotypes, I don’t have to look much farther than my household. My father was born left-handed, but compelled to write with the right (explains his ghastly handwriting; fittingly enough, he is a doctor). When I visited India, my grandmother lost her appetite seeing me lift a spoon with my left. Later on during prayer, a rather uncomfortable staring contest followed when I accepted the offering using the ‘wrong hand.’
Some might be of the impression that the bias against left-handedness is long dead and buried. While it is true that society has gradually accepted them, we still feel… left out in certain fields- be it scissors, right-handed chairs, guitars or even spiral-bound notebooks. The most frustrating experience, however, is the smudging of ink while writing. Most languages are written left-to-right; consequently, when the left hand slides over the text, a royal smearing of historic proportions follows (shoutout to Arabic for being one of the sole exceptions).
It's not all doom and gloom though- we’re notorious for making traditionally right-handed players uncomfortable in sports due to the novelty factor. There are also “studies” that show we’re more cognitively developed and have better multi-tasking capabilities and mental health. Trust me, we don’t. I’d give about as much credibility to these “studies” as the Flat Earth Theory.
At the end of the day, all I want is a society that treats left-handedness… normally. And perhaps a pair of scissors that don’t have to be separately designed for left-handers at twice the price.
P.S.: If you’re reading this as an ambidextrous person, congratulations on having “two right hands” as per the official Latin etymology. Don’t worry, it wasn’t a left-handed compliment.
 | Bhawya Manchanda, 11-B, FAIPS - DPS |