Wonder what it’s like to see the world from a “left-handed” point of view? On International Lefthanders Day, August 13, you get to explore that world for a day. Did you know Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were all left-handed? Rock out with Paul McCartney or Jimi Hendrix, the world’s greatest left-handed guitarist. (Stevie Ray Vaughan, born right-handed, learned to play a left-handed guitar like his hero, Hendrix). There’s also Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts and Lady Gaga, left-handers all. In baseball, there were the legendary “southpaws, Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax. So, if you’re left-handed, grab your left-handed cup and make a toast to all left-handers, everywhere!
From scissors to knives, Left Handers, or Southpaws, are the brunt of jokes all year long for various different things. But this is the day to ignore that, and bring awareness to all the right handed folk around the globe in celebration of Left Handers Day, after all while right handed people operate in the left side of the brain, left handed people sure the right side. Therefore, only left handed people are in their right mind.
History of Left Handers Day
Celebrating it’s first year recognized in 1976, Lefthanders International helped raise awareness of the difficulties of being left handed. Being accused of witchcraft in the 1600s for just using one hand more than the other, was only the beginning. With only 10 percent of the population being left handed, various items are more expensive than their right handed counterparts. Objects like scissors, knives and even school desks can see a mark up of almost 75 percent more for left handed individuals, while golf clubs see as much as a 200 percent increase dependent on brand.
How to celebrate Left Handers Day
Bring up the difficulties to those with right handed tendencies, this is easily enough done by asking them to use left handed scissors in their right hands. Just the discomfort alone tends to be enough to bring people around to understanding.
Learning to throw a ball or write on a desk designed for a right hand is difficult for a Southpaw, so why not swap the table on them and sit them at a left handed student desk to right some things down with their right hand. Introduce them to the inherent difficulties of using a left handed paring knife in their right hand. Show them how coffee mugs are made with the picture and writing so one would have to use the cup in the right hand in order to make use of it as it was intended. Or the computer mouse, which is intended for a right handed person, becomes difficult without knowing how to swap it to the left handed mode.
But whatever you do, don’t forget the jokes regarding the fact of left handed folk are better than right!
Like the fact that everyone is born right handed, but only the greatest overcome it. Or that it is believed that octopuses only have one right hand. Or that polar bears are believed to be primarily left handed.
