2008 Woodie Awards
The Perils of Being Left Handed
Chris Nesi, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Op-Eds
Studies show that between 7 and 13 percent of the world population are left handed. Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you it hasn't always been easy. Few, if any, would consider being lefty a disability, but the reality is the world simply is not compatible with left handedness. Any lefty who is reading these words will immediately identify with one or more of the following "lefty perils": Scissor handles and blades designed for righties making cutting a difficult, if not uncomfortable, task; countless blue books with the answers smeared due to your hand dragging across the words you write; and being forced to hunt for the elusive lefty desk at school. Holiday family dinners are also tricky, because lefties are forced to sit next to a fellow southpaw to avoid elbow bumping with righty relatives.
I'm not saying that being left handed is a "disability" on par with a medical condition or some other physical impairment by any means. However, some of the less benign disadvantages of using your left hand can lead to injury or death. A study conducted by Lafayette College and Johns Hopkins University estimated that as many as 2,600 left handed people die every year using tools or devices that were designed for righties. For example, belt saws are designed for righty use. A lefty is forced to reach across the blade to reach for more of what they are cutting. Additionally, chain saws, firearms, surgical instruments, and circular saws are all designed to be used primarily by a right handed person.
Statistics show that righties live an average of nine years longer than a lefty in the same study. While scientists have not conclusively linked left handedness to any specific cause of death, a study published in the American Journal of Public Health reported a substantially higher rate of fatal accidents among left handed people. The 1989 study found that lefties are five times as likely to die in a car accident as a righty. It was suggested that the cause of this statistical anomaly may be the result of left-handers "living in a world for right-handers."
I'm not saying that being left handed is a "disability" on par with a medical condition or some other physical impairment by any means. However, some of the less benign disadvantages of using your left hand can lead to injury or death. A study conducted by Lafayette College and Johns Hopkins University estimated that as many as 2,600 left handed people die every year using tools or devices that were designed for righties. For example, belt saws are designed for righty use. A lefty is forced to reach across the blade to reach for more of what they are cutting. Additionally, chain saws, firearms, surgical instruments, and circular saws are all designed to be used primarily by a right handed person.
Statistics show that righties live an average of nine years longer than a lefty in the same study. While scientists have not conclusively linked left handedness to any specific cause of death, a study published in the American Journal of Public Health reported a substantially higher rate of fatal accidents among left handed people. The 1989 study found that lefties are five times as likely to die in a car accident as a righty. It was suggested that the cause of this statistical anomaly may be the result of left-handers "living in a world for right-handers."
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Risa
posted 3/12/08 @ 3:03 PM EST
Thanks a lot for writing this piece! I too am a lefty, and while it hardly ever comes up or gets in the way anymore (since I've adapted to many right-handed instruments) it's still annoying to be inconvenienced by tools not created for everyone's use. (Continued…)
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