Comments on: Sinister Superstitions

By: Moa

Moa — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:46:46 +0000

Hello, I have only recently found out that I was born left handed,
which explains amongst other things that I was left legged playing soccer.
It also raise a lot of other questions.
Thank you for an interesting article.
I will continue to research the effects of what happened to me
if I can find the strength at his precarious moment in my life.
Are the effects reversible? I will hopefully find out.
Is it even important?
I think it is and maybe it isn’t, I want to find an answer to that question as well.

By: Lorena

Lorena — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:54:29 +0000

Ah, yeah, The Princess Bride. It’s been a while, and the last time I couldn’t really pay attention, as a bunch of guys insisted on repeating, with the actor, “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

The sword fight is corny funny, I guess. The dialogue is priceless…”You are wonderful.”

My laptop’s sound is terrible. I had to look up the dialogue. As usual, I was having trouble with accents.

fencing]
Inigo Montoya: You are wonderful.
Man in Black: Thank you; I’ve worked hard to become so.
Inigo Montoya: I admit it, you are better than I am.
Man in Black: Then why are you smiling?
Inigo Montoya: Because I know something you don’t know.
Man in Black: And what is that?
Inigo Montoya: I… am not left-handed.
[Moves his sword to his right hand and gains an advantage]
Man in Black: You are amazing.
Inigo Montoya: I ought to be, after 20 years.
Man in Black: Oh, there’s something I ought to tell you.
Inigo Montoya: Tell me.
Man in Black: I’m not left-handed either.
[Moves his sword to his right hand and regains his advantage]
..
Inigo Montoya: Who are you?
Westley: No one of consequence.
Inigo Montoya: I must know…
Westley: Get used to disappointment.
Inigo Montoya: ‘kay.

By: Eshu

Eshu — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:22:05 +0000

Thanks chappie, glad everyone liked it so much.

I’ve always thought it must be great to be ambidextrous, especially for racket sports. Didn’t know you could get un-handed scissors… not sure how they’d work, will have to look them up.

I read somewhere that prejudice against lefties increased when writing became commonplace, but that they are frequently taught wrongly. A person’s hand should always be below the line they’re writing (thus no smudging), whether they are left or right handed, so a lefty’s hand position should mirror a righty’s. It’s trying to copy their right handed teacher which apparently causes the confusion… so I’m told.

By: the chaplain

the chaplain — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:48:46 +0000

Fascinating post. Lefties deal with all sorts of odd idiosyncrasies. My youngest son writes with his left hand, but is ambidextrous in other things, like throwing a ball. He will only buy one specific brand and style of ink pens because the ink dries very fast, so that he doesn’t smear it as his hand drags across what he’s just written. In cultures that write from left-to-right, right-handers hands lie ahead of what we’re writing, while left-handers hands follow behind and drag across what they’ve just written. I’ve also only bought un-handed scissors for years to accommodate everyone in the family in one stroke.

By: Eshu

Eshu — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:17:34 +0000

Temaskian,
I’ve heard many US presidents have been left-handed. Interesting about your change, do you think it has caused you any problems? There was some suspicion that forcing left-handers to write as righties was psychologically harmful, but I’m not sure if any serious research was done on it.

Robert,
Thanks.. yeah they walk amongst us! ;-)

Lorena,
Thanks for the compliment. I’m still growing up, well, mentally at least! Yes I sometimes think the respect might come from lefthanders doing skillful things with their left hands that we could never do (forgetting that with their right hands they are as clumsy as well, er an er, ill-thought-out sentence..?)
To illustrate my point, if you haven’t seen the Princess Bride then watch this! It starts slowly but is worth the wait. :-)

By: Lorena

Lorena — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:31:16 +0000

For somebody so “sinister” you write really well, Eshu. I love those crisp, perfect sentences full of information yet written in plain, understandable language. When I grow up, I want to write like that.

Interestingly, in my culture, for what I remember of it, left-handers are seen with a certain respect. They look so smart writing with the almost curled left-hand, and the writing usually slants to the right, elegantly so. Both my big brothers are LH, and I always wished I’d been one. Life was uncomfortable sometimes for the many LH I knew back home, because of the little annoyances, but other than that, I don’t think it ever worked against them.

By: Robert Madewell

Robert Madewell — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:58:15 +0000

My brother is a south-paw.

Great article.

By: Temaskian

Temaskian — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:42:29 +0000

Fascinating. Thanks for the post.

I think Obama is left-handed. So was I, when I was young. I was sunsequently instructed to change over to the right hand by a teacher.