Are left-handed people disadvantaged?

[TalkingPoint]

To what extent are left-handed people disadvantaged in the world today?

What do you think?

[MissLT]

Before? Yes. Nowsaday? I'm not sure. We used to have half of the people were right-handed and half of the people were left-handed; however, right-handed people dominated left-handed people and forced them to use the right hand. Thus, we only have around 10-25% people are left-handed. I believe kids in some countries are still being forced to use their right hands if they're left-handed .

[Shazzam]

Before? Yes. Nowsaday? I'm not sure. We used to have half of the people were right-handed and half of the people were left-handed; however, right-handed people dominated left-handed people and forced them to use the right hand. Thus, we only have around 10-25% people are left-handed. I believe kids in some countries are still being forced to use their right hands if they're left-handed .

My husband was left handed. When he was a school he was forced to write with his right hand. He is now right handed.

I personally don't think it makes any difference; but I have noticed that most people that are right handed have neater hand writting . I think in some instances too because of the universal way that writing books are made it is easy for them to smudge their work. What do you think?

[MissLT]

My husband was left handed. When he was a school he was forced to write with his right hand. He is now right handed.

I used to write with my left hand, but then I was forced to write with my right hand in school. That teacher was horrible. I remember whenever she turned to other students, I would change back to my left hand since I had to put extra effort to write with my right hand, and it was extremely hard for me. Once time she caught me doing that; she told me if I ever did that again, she would have to chop my left hand off. Can you believe a thing some teacher would say to a six-year-old kid? I dislike teachers who are like this from that day on. She made my first grade sucked . All I could remember about it is she would chop my left hand off if I didn't write with my right hand.
Also, I remember coming home crying to my mom, and she wasn't really helpful. Gosh, she told me to learn to write with my right hand since I didn't know how to write with my left hand as much as my right hand; therefore, it wasn't that much of a difference. I was so mad. I refused to go to school the next day, but she dressed me up and took me to school that day.

I personally don't think it makes any difference;

Well, in biology, they don't link the differences between left and right hand with our personality and skills since we don't have many proofs; however, there is definitely a change to the way the brain would set up if one is left-handed and is forced to use the right hand. Not much of a change, but there is a change. It's like people who have lost their hands, so they learn how to use their feet. Well, switching from right to left hand won't make that dramatic change, but it will somehow change something inside the brain, don't you agree?

but I have noticed that most people that are right handed have neater hand writting .

See, in Vietnam, teachers hold first-grade students' hands and teach them how to write. If a student was left-handed like me and the teacher was right-handed, then it would be really hard for them to hold the student's hand to show that kid how to write correctly. This is the reason why my teacher forced me to use my right hand since she was right-handed. The first time she saw me using the left hand, she told me I was holding the pencil in the wrong hand. After looking at me holding the pencil with my right hand (I couldn't barely hold it), she said I was left-handed and I had to learn how to write with my right hand because left hand was not a correct way to write .
At home, parents hold their kids' hands to show them how to write, I think. And if you were left-handed, one of your kids would definitely be left-handed; thus, if you were forced to use the right hand, it would be hard to teach the kids how to write neatly and correctly. As a result, you would force your kids to write with right hand or they had to be on their own. Either way, they'd be on their own.

[Shazzam]

In my country we don't hold childrens hands to help them to write. They use lined books and copy from the blackboard (whiteboard). This gets them started. Once they are on their way repetition usually corrects any problems they have with writing. I have noticed that most children write certain letters back to front when the start; for example b's, d's etc. My daughter had this problem we just corrected her when she did it; and now she is fine. I think stencils are a much better way for children to learn to write than to have someone standing over you holding your hand. In addition how time consuming for the teacher. The classrooms in my country are very big (especially in the public school system). There is no way a teacher could afford that much time to a pupil.

I don't think teachers correct children here anymore if they write with the left hand. I know that they used to but I don't think it matters now. Which is fine. I think if you want to write with your left hand; no big deal!

Lenny can I ask you something I'm just curious. Did you go to a Catholic school?

The reason that I ask is because my husband had a very similar experience as you (being made work with his right hand) and he went to a Catholic School; he said that the Nun's were very cruel about it as well.

[MissLT]

In my country we don't hold childrens hands to help them to write. They use lined books and copy from the blackboard (whiteboard). This gets them started. Once they are on their way repetition usually corrects any problems they have with writing. I have noticed that most children write certain letters back to front when the start; for example b's, d's etc. My daughter had this problem we just corrected her when she did it; and now she is fine. I think stencils are a much better way for children to learn to write than to have someone standing over you holding your hand. In addition how time consuming for the teacher. The classrooms in my country are very big (especially in the public school system). There is no way a teacher could afford that much time to a pupil.

I don't remember how a teacher managed to do it in Vietnam back in my days, but they could even though they had about 30-40 students. I kinda remember that my first-grade teacher divided the class into two groups: ones already knew how to hold the pencils and ones didn't know anything yet. I think she helped the ones who didn't know anything first and then went to the other group. It's because I remember I knew how to hold my pencil, well, with my left hand. And later then she came by and saw me holding my pencil with my left hand, that was the time she said my way was wrong. I'm not sure about this memory, though. Some members in Vietnam might know.
Anyway, they used writing books that had dotted letters so the kids could trace on them. And there were little superscript numbers on the letters to tell them where to start first. However, I did write the letters backward since it was more fun . People said I'm a backward girl because I read Westerner books backward and I read (the word is loosely here since I only look at the pictures ) Chinese book the Westerner's way .

[MissLT]

Lenny can I ask you something I'm just curious. Did you go to a Catholic school?

The reason that I ask is because my husband had a very similar experience as you (being made work with his right hand) and he went to a Catholic School; he said that the Nun's were very cruel about it as well.

Nope, just a regular public school. We don't have religious schools after the war; I was born after the war. All the older generations in my family went to French private schools and they had to learn about Christianity, so I guess you could call those Catholic schools. Not in my time and after. Communists don't believe in religions. In fact, they don't even want people to practice their religions .

[shokin]

Heu can you say more about differences between right head and left head ?

Shokin

[pier]

To what extent are left-handed people disadvantaged in the world today?
I think there is no such sayings.But you know,left-handed people will get more trouble in there life.
I'm a chinese. Many parents always feel uncomfortable once they find their children doing sth with the left hand, and such
so-called bad habit will be corrected immediately.
In fact,as we know,most of us are right-handed.When you take a seat next to a lef-handed people,and then you both will
feel unhappy on such accasions:having lunch.

[MissLT]

To what extent are left-handed people disadvantaged in the world today?
I think there is no such sayings.But you know,left-handed people will get more trouble in there life.
I'm a chinese. Many parents always feel uncomfortable once they find their children doing sth with the left hand, and such
so-called bad habit will be corrected immediately.
In fact,as we know,most of us are right-handed.When you take a seat next to a lef-handed people,and then you both will
feel unhappy on such accasions:having lunch.

Never once in my life people said to me that they were unhappy because I was a lefty. When I tell people I am one, they would let me take their seat, which is at the end of the table, so I won't bump into their chopsticks and it'd be easier for me. Also, they even get the food for me if I have to sit too far away from the dishes .
About Chinese and being left-handed, I think it's because the way you start a book is different than the Westerner's way-- you open your book from the left to the right. And your writing of the characters is convenient for people who are right-handed than left-handed. Right?