Aspyred
Nov 6th, 2006, 03:25 PM
As a leftie myself (or so I think), there have been many obstacles to get me to where I am now. You know, the "normal" stuff, scissors, knives, computer mouses (I use it on my right, but initially began with my left hand) and...writing. Dreaded writing. This is what actually prompted me to begin this topic. I despise binders and coiled notebooks as your hand just hits the hinge and it's just generally uncomfortable. That, and latent feelings of alienation make for an interesting recipe.
I have several topics I want to touch upon, and if you guys would like to add to this, definitely feel free to do so:
1) Writing
For you lefties out there, what are your coping strategies? I definitely have mine, I'm sure you all do. For my contested topic of writing however, I don't have one. I've heard of people curling their hands around their pen/pencil and slanting their papers in all sorts of directions. In lecture, the leftmost row of seats have left-handed desks, and in some of the more archaic buildings, none. Not that I gravitate towards leftie desks, as I try to cope (easier to find a seat).
As a result of having very few coping strategies to writing, I smudge my hand against the ink/pencil lead ALL the time. There is no avoiding it, so I've learned to live with it. That, and my writing is completely unlegible. That is not to say I'm hiding behind my being left-handed as a way to excuse my poor handwriting skills, but there definitely are challenges abound. Sometimes, I can write extremely well, and other days, it's a complete mess. Of course, tack this onto attempting to listen/learn in lecture, and it makes for a hodgepodge of chaos.
2) "Intelligence"
And of course, the heavily contested topic of "intelligence". Sometimes, I think many of the results are heavily skewed/biased and exposed to the oh-so-lovely self-fulfilling prophesy. Because I think, due to statistics, that lefties are generally better at arts/creativity and less on linear computations (ie. Math), I am that way. I think, therefore I am. I personally think that is true for me, but I will not deny that the mind is a very powerful thing in terms of the self-fulfilling prophesy.
Also, there have been many reports that the very fact of being left-handed, results in being some sort of genius (as many notable famous people are; by the same token, so are many notable famous right-handed people just the same). In my experience, that is not true :) . However, what is completely true of me, and my thinking pattern, is that it is EXTREMELY erratic and random. I tend to think of things very holistically, and find it difficult to break any sort of problem into smaller, bite-sized pieces. In the way, I tend to miss the obvious and find it hard to organize large projects.
By the same I'm speaking, I'm making it sound as if I have a severe disability. This is not the case, as I'm merely trying to accentuate and give my account of the many reports out there, trying to compare the left-handed mind (or the right brained) with those in their "right mind" (ie. left brain dominant).
When I speak with people, or write any type of essay, I do not proceed in a linear fashion. Things come to me at all angles, and their organization definitely proves a challenge. Conversations for me, typically go off into a direction I could not have planned and rarely do I remember clearly, my initial point. This is also why I absolutely love Wikipedia. I may enter in a topic about a movie, and through eventual clicking and increased intrigue, end up on a page about paganistic existentialism (I just made that up).
Mathematics DOES in fact disgust me, despite the fact that I love twiddling with computers, but art/English intrigues me, and I find that I take many an opportunity to perfect my speaking/writing skills. This goes even without any perceived active effort, I do it because I like it. Rarely does it get a second thought. Like Nike, I just do it.
Is the plight of being left-handed an excuse in today's society? Though society does not condemn lefties as was common in the past, computers and linear, efficient sequences are very so pervasive, and increasingly so. A robot seems to embody the perfect person, as is my impression today. And as such, how should we meet this challenge?
I leave this to you guys. I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read through my ramblings. A toast to you, whether you are left-handed, right-handed, ambidextrous, or overweight! (that's a The Office reference)
I have several topics I want to touch upon, and if you guys would like to add to this, definitely feel free to do so:
1) Writing
For you lefties out there, what are your coping strategies? I definitely have mine, I'm sure you all do. For my contested topic of writing however, I don't have one. I've heard of people curling their hands around their pen/pencil and slanting their papers in all sorts of directions. In lecture, the leftmost row of seats have left-handed desks, and in some of the more archaic buildings, none. Not that I gravitate towards leftie desks, as I try to cope (easier to find a seat).
As a result of having very few coping strategies to writing, I smudge my hand against the ink/pencil lead ALL the time. There is no avoiding it, so I've learned to live with it. That, and my writing is completely unlegible. That is not to say I'm hiding behind my being left-handed as a way to excuse my poor handwriting skills, but there definitely are challenges abound. Sometimes, I can write extremely well, and other days, it's a complete mess. Of course, tack this onto attempting to listen/learn in lecture, and it makes for a hodgepodge of chaos.
2) "Intelligence"
And of course, the heavily contested topic of "intelligence". Sometimes, I think many of the results are heavily skewed/biased and exposed to the oh-so-lovely self-fulfilling prophesy. Because I think, due to statistics, that lefties are generally better at arts/creativity and less on linear computations (ie. Math), I am that way. I think, therefore I am. I personally think that is true for me, but I will not deny that the mind is a very powerful thing in terms of the self-fulfilling prophesy.
Also, there have been many reports that the very fact of being left-handed, results in being some sort of genius (as many notable famous people are; by the same token, so are many notable famous right-handed people just the same). In my experience, that is not true :) . However, what is completely true of me, and my thinking pattern, is that it is EXTREMELY erratic and random. I tend to think of things very holistically, and find it difficult to break any sort of problem into smaller, bite-sized pieces. In the way, I tend to miss the obvious and find it hard to organize large projects.
By the same I'm speaking, I'm making it sound as if I have a severe disability. This is not the case, as I'm merely trying to accentuate and give my account of the many reports out there, trying to compare the left-handed mind (or the right brained) with those in their "right mind" (ie. left brain dominant).
When I speak with people, or write any type of essay, I do not proceed in a linear fashion. Things come to me at all angles, and their organization definitely proves a challenge. Conversations for me, typically go off into a direction I could not have planned and rarely do I remember clearly, my initial point. This is also why I absolutely love Wikipedia. I may enter in a topic about a movie, and through eventual clicking and increased intrigue, end up on a page about paganistic existentialism (I just made that up).
Mathematics DOES in fact disgust me, despite the fact that I love twiddling with computers, but art/English intrigues me, and I find that I take many an opportunity to perfect my speaking/writing skills. This goes even without any perceived active effort, I do it because I like it. Rarely does it get a second thought. Like Nike, I just do it.
Is the plight of being left-handed an excuse in today's society? Though society does not condemn lefties as was common in the past, computers and linear, efficient sequences are very so pervasive, and increasingly so. A robot seems to embody the perfect person, as is my impression today. And as such, how should we meet this challenge?
I leave this to you guys. I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read through my ramblings. A toast to you, whether you are left-handed, right-handed, ambidextrous, or overweight! (that's a The Office reference)