Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Things Left-Handed People Deal With That Right-Handed People Never Do

Left-handed person holding a Sharpie
Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash

Reddit user johnnyportillo95 asked: 'What’s something left handed people have to deal with that right handed people wouldn’t even think about?'

Many of us who are right-handed never even think about how the world is designed to cater to us.

It probably doesn't even cross your mind that 10% of the world's population is left-handed.


Because of this, there tends to be a stigma for being left-handed since society tends to associate the left with negative things.

For example, the phrase "two left feet" applies to those who are clumsy and therefore, incapable of dancing.

Curious to hear more about the challenges facing those with the other dominant hand, Redditor johnnyportillo95 asked:

"What’s something left-handed people have to deal with that right-handed people wouldn’t even think about?"

If only manufacturers appealed to an ambidextrous world.

Furniture Obstacle

"Those desks or couch chairs that have a small desk attached. They do make left handed/sided ones but they are few and far between."

– Prussian__Princess

"And they’re only on one side of the lecture hall, and it’s never a good seat. There is ONE front row, lefty desk in the entire room and it’s in the far corner, obscured by an ancient overhead projector."

– earwighoney

Everyday Objects For Everyday People

"as a left-handed person myself, one thing we often deal with is finding left-handed tools or equipment. many everyday objects, like scissors or can openers, are designed with right-handed people in mind, which can make certain tasks a bit more challenging for us lefties. we also have to adapt to a right-handed world when it comes to writing on whiteboards or using certain computer mice."

– J0rdan_24

Dangerous Tools

"The biggest risk is power tools. I taught myself to use all power tools right handed because of risks using them left handed."

"Trivial, I love dry boards but they are super hard to write on."

– diegojones4

It's hard to play when you're born with a physical disadvantage.

Sports Disadvantage

"Allright, Sports when you are young. Every demonstration from PE teachers are right handed. You cant just copy the movements they teach you you need to flip them and your tiny brain struggoes to process it. As well, 98% of the cheap sports equipment the school uses is right handed."

– AjCheeze

No Future In Softball

"I tried to bat right handed for so long in gym class growing up because the gym teacher never asked me what my dominant side was and the thought never occurred to me as a child to mention it! Needless to say I never became a softball star."

– Leftover-Cheese

Find A Glove That Fits

"In softball and baseball we need a specific glove for our right hand that's often impossible to find unless you own one, and we have to bat on the other side of the plate."

– BowlerSea1569

"I was one of two left-handers in a 4-team Little League in the 1980s. Nobody could pitch to me. I got a lot of "hit by pitch" walks out of it."

– Jef_Wheaton

These examples are understandably annoying.

Shocking Observation

"Having right handed people make comments whenever they see us write, like we’re some kind of alien."

– UsefulIdiot85

"'Woah! You're left-handed????'"

"I find myself noticing when someone is a lefty, and sometimes I comment on it, but I try not to. I'm primarily left-handed (im a right handed wroter but do everything else left), and every single time I go to eat with my family, someone says, "Oh hey, give SilverGladiolus22 the left hand spot, they're left-handed," and inevitably someone says, 'Wait, really?' Lol."

– SilverGladiolus22

Can't Admire The Mug

"We never get to look at the cute graphics on coffee mugs while we’re drinking from them."

– vanetti

"I just realized…I always thought the graphics were made so someone else could read them while you drink. Hmmm."

– Bubbly-Anteater7345

"I'm right-handed and I often wondered why the graphics were turned towards the drinker instead of out for others to see."

– Material-Imagination

The Writing On The Wall

"Writing on whiteboards is a nightmare. I have to float my hand, which tires out my arm quickly, and I can't see what I've already written to keep the line straight."

– darkjedi39

"Also as a teacher, it means I'm standing to the left of where I'm writing, so I'm blocking everything I write. I have to frequently finish writing, then step out of the way so people can see, instead of just being able to stand on the right side the whole time."

– dancingbanana123

Immeasurable

"Rulers."

"How the f'k is no one talking about rulers? It's from 30cm to 0 cm to me, or I have to twist my arms to know the measure I want to trace over it."

– fourangers

Just Can't Win

"EVERYTHING. The world has always been based around people being right handed. As a Chef, my knife skills SUCKED until I worked with a Left Handed Chef. Then it all made sense."

"Literally, everything we do must be observed, then flipped around in our heads, then executed. This is why Lefties die sooner, on average, than Righties."

"I had to learn how to be ambidextrous, just to complete basic tasks (sports, driving a manual, using scissors, etc). I am used to it now, and do many things right handed out of necessity, as wall as parents and teachers 'forcing' it upon me."

"But, at least we are not put to death anymore, simply for using the wrong hand (look it up, it happened)."

"Ole Righty, always keeping us down."

– igenus44

The world doesn't need another demographic to feel "othered" for being different.

But if you're right-handed and tend to make assumptions about left-handed people, you may want to observe the following.

Ronald Yeo, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Austin told CNN:

"We shouldn’t assume much about people’s personalities or health just because of the hand they write with."
"And we certainly shouldn’t worry about lefties’ chances of success: After all (as of 2015), five of our last seven U.S. presidents have been either left- or mixed-handed."

Word.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Dana Perino; Gavin Newsom
Fox News; Mario Tama/Getty Images

Fox News Host Ripped For Hypocrisy After Demanding Newsom 'Stop It' With Tweets Trolling Trump

Fox News host Dana Perino was widely mocked after she advised California Governor Gavin Newsom to stop trolling President Donald Trump with his recent tweets, prompting many to call out her hypocrisy for ignoring Trump's long history of attacking his own critics on social media.

Speaking on The Five, Perino said Newsom, who has used his official government accounts to mock Trump amid ongoing redistricting battles in California and Texas, needs "to stop it with the Twitter thing."

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Kid Rock
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Newsom Just Hilariously Trolled Kid Rock With An Uncle Sam-Style Poster—And Kid Rock Took The Bait

Singer Kid Rock lashed out at California Governor Gavin Newsom after Newsom's press office shared an AI-generated poster of Kid Rock dressed as Uncle Sam urging people to "support Gavin Newsom"—showing that Newsom's trolling did exactly what it meant to do.

It all started after Newsom's press office shared the image—which says "KID ROCK WANTS YOU TO SUPPORT GAVIN NEWSOM"—along with the following caption announcing that Newsom had "accepted" Kid Rock's endorsement:

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Slammed After Ranting That The Smithsonian Only Focuses On 'How Bad Slavery Was'

President Donald Trump was called out after he doubled down on his criticism of the Smithsonian museums in a rambling post on Truth Social on Tuesday, saying they've focused too much on "how bad slavery was" instead of promoting his view of American excellence.

A White House official who spoke to NBC News said Trump's call for a comprehensive review would extended to all museums, pledging that Trump will hold the Smithsonian "accountable" and "then go from there."

Keep ReadingShow less
The waist of a man in a Santa Claus costume.
person in red and white santa claus costume
Photo by Jesson Mata on Unsplash

People Divulge The 'Harmless' Lies Their Parents Told Them That Messed Them Up

It's highly unlikely that anyone's parents have never lied to them at least once in their lives.

Most of the time, however, they weren't lying to us out of malice, or to be deliberately deceptive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nicole Collier
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Texas Republicans Lock Dem State Rep. In Capitol After She Refuses To Leave With Mandatory Police Escort

Democratic Texas state Representative Nicole Collier is making national headlines for refusing to cede to Republicans' demands that she sign a permission slip to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Collier was among dozens of Democrats who bolted from Texas earlier this month to block a Trump-backed redistricting plan designed to tilt the 2026 midterms toward Republicans. Some lawmakers returned Monday for a second special session, but GOP House Speaker Dustin Burrows ordered state troopers to escort them out of the chamber to stop another walkout.

Keep ReadingShow less