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For those of you who don't now, Sunday August 13th is International Left-Handers Day, so in homage to lefties everywhere, Bored Panda has compiled this list of annoying problems that all left-handers face on a daily basis.

If you're left-handed then you're probably aware that, whether you like it or not, this is a right-handed world. From scissors and desks to ring binders and ice-cream scoopers, everything seems to be designed with the righties in mind, which isn't really surprising when you realize that around 90% of the world's population is right-handed.

Still, there's a pretty impressive list of lefties crammed into that remaining 10%. Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Aristotle and Julius Caesar were all left-handed for instance? And let's not forget Albert Einstein, Neil Armstrong, Winston Churchill, Bill Gates, and Barack Obama. And Jimi Hendrix. And Kurt Cobain. And Paul McCartney. And David Bowie, Charlie Chaplin, Robert de Niro, Angelina Jolie, Keanu Reeves, Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, and Jon Stewart, plus a whole bunch of other people we don't have the space to write about. If we haven't made our point yet then what we're trying to say is that, although left-handed people might be in the minority, that doesn't make them any less awesome, and some of the world's most important contributions have in fact come from left-handers.

Despite this however, non-righties have had a pretty hard time throughout history. The word "left" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "lyft", meaning "weak", and the word "sinister" actually derives from the Latin word meaning "left". Left-handers were also thought to consort with the devil, and being left-handed was sometimes considered proof that a woman was a witch and should therefore be persecuted or even executed! Fortunately those days are long gone though, and the only things left-handers have to worry about these days are using a can opener without making a mess, and trying to write without getting ink all over the side of their hand. Scroll down to see some other problems that the modern leftie has to face. Can you relate? Then let us know in the comments below and don't forget to vote. Happy International Left-Handers Day everybody!

#3

Funny-left-handers-problems

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Sasy
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This just made me think of being tall, and getting all those 'What is the weather like up there' queries from smarty pants short people.

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Michel M. Prins
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Are you left handed?" and "How can you write like that?" Are sometimes a bit in the same percentages.

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Funny-left-handers-problems

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Var Vas
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had done this too in my school days. Got better after few days. Most of my notes were mirror image and only I could read(i'm a left hander too, btw)

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Brandon Idskou
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the fact that this person can write MIRROR IMAGE!!! is more impressive than most of the things i can read about on any day

Deidre Leggett
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom can do it. She can actually write two separate things, with both hands, at the same time.

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Gabriela Durán M
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to write like this when I first learned to write, but my mom took me to special classes so they would make me fix my writing haha... they also wanted to make me right handed but I refused

Tammy Ralph
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My partner is left handed when he was in school the teacher used to punch him until he put the pencil in his right.

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Daniela Fernandes
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm right-handed. When I write with my left hand that's the only way I can write. Don't ask why I do this...

Joseph McLinden
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I took Arabic in school to avoid the mess. Pens and pencils were designed to be "pulled" not forcibly "pushed".

Christy Martin
Community Member
7 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My left handed friend and I just to write mirror image notes back in high school.

Jon
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it was Da Vinci or someone like that who also wrote his notes backwards to avoid smudging.

Heather Young
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actulydid this as well and my teacher told me i had to stop bc he couldnt read my notes when i turned them in to be checked

Dave Stohr
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i actually can write cursive backwards without thinking about it. matter of fact LOL my handwriting is much better backwards than forwards LOL.. but i dont have to think about how to write LOL my left hand just takes over .

Jenny Lorenz
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

wow little ocd. Nothing wrong with a little ink on pinky. Own it!

Marianne Hollerbach
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had to use fountain pens in Catholic School. Can you imagine the mess that made and how upset the nuns were when you handed in a smeared paper!

Shannon Abraham
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did this too! But not school notes, just letters and notes to my friends. They had to hold them up to a mirror to read. Is this a leftie thing?!

Yongmei Bellack
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow! I’d really like to study your brain... that is incredible! Hats off to you!

Claudia Maxwell
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am ambidextrous. In college I took my psychology notes in mirror writing with my right hand and when I got really bored or tired I would switch and take the notes left handed. Usually deliberately sat on front row. Got lots of strange looks from Professors, one used to stand right in front of me for whole class constantly looking down at my desk.

Linda Gerdel
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love that they the spirals on the right side too, I always did that

Jen Gajkowski
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

you couldn't just turn the pad of paper upside-down so the spiral is on the other side?

Ann Walker
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My father was born left handed but they forced him to become right handed. However he wrote brilliant mirror handwriting all his life and used to send me letters when I was little all in mirror handwriting! I loved them ( and I could read them!) I am completely left handed

Tammy Ralph
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just goes to show you that left handed people are highly intelligent. (I'm not left handed)

Kathy Pedersen
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Dad sat me down and twisted the paper so it was at at a 45* angle the long side to my body. Since then don't get pencil or pen marks on the side of my hand. I did grow up using an iron rt handed and scissors. When somebody gave me a pair of lefty scissors. For Christmas I could not use them. You adapt to the environment you grow up in.

Tolga IŞIKYILDIZ
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

writing in mirror image? sounds as hard as being lefty but capable of writing with right hand (too). I would be more sharing and improve my righty.

Dayna Robinson
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

(I am a righty) I can do that too. Just found out I could do it after watching the movie Amelie. My penmanship backwards is better in cursive than print. Crazy how the brain works.

JillVille Child Care
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a leftie, I know the frustration and this was something I attempted but never perfected. So hard to do if you've been trained the "other" way all your life. This takes commitment!

Elyce Duerr
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG I still write a lot of stuff in mirror writing but not at 77 it just to confuse everyone....or to p**s them off. LOL 😂

Steven Rundle
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Huh... It's not as hard as I though to write wrong-reading text... with practice I bet it's almost as fast as right-reading. What a brilliant idea!

Ina Maksimova
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Arabic is written and read right to left so a matter of practice really... I tried learning Persian back in the day but motivation wore out quickly

Deb Leonard
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in the early 1980s in Cincinnati, Ohio there was a local TV weatherman who could not only write but draw mirror image. He used to stand behind a clear pane of glass and do all the weather reports like that. I've always been amazed by and envied that talent!

Omolara Adeyemi
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

wow I can write that way I though I was a weirdo!!! wowww thank God we are many look

Antonia Marawi
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Would've probably been really smart to write like that on really thin paper and then, like, shine some light undereath it to read your notes with no problem. Though after getting used to write like that, you would most likely get used to reading it too.

Sioux Briett
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do that...but I'm right handed...though I can write with my left. ..or both at the same time in either direction.

Rita Kosmauskiene
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, that's the normal way of writing for left handed, from ther cener to the sides - right or left. But it is still the world of righthanders, so eather you are forced to change your hand, or to change your brain. Or write like that. That's how my daughter used to write when she was little.

Carolina
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because turning the notebook upside down would be too easy?

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#7

Silver Surfer Syndrome

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Daria B
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, right handers are not spared the silver (and blue, when you use a pen) surfer syndrome.

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#8

Funny Left Handers Problems

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Daria B
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The notebook rings problem, I'd just turn the notebook upside down, because I don't care.

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#10

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Michel M. Prins
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And then when you say you're lefthanded, they just don't know what to say anymore

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Daria B
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We right handers get our pencils and pens on the side of our hands too. Yeah, no one's afe.

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#18

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Michelle Mendoza
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ooh you've never seen a left handed person in all your life? Do you get this surprised like this every time you see a left handed person use their left hand to write? Cause I still get grown people who are like this...

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#21

Funny Left Handers Problems

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varwenea
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those are not worth buying anyway. They don't cut into hard frozen ice cream well enough. Use the scoop/dipper kind or the wide-spoon variety; I have the latter.

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#25

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Michel M. Prins
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For everyone who uses a drawing tablet I advice to try to make it as easy as possible. I have 4 buttons and a ring. The buttons I linked to the functions: Undo (CTRL+Z), redo (Shift+CTRL+Z), brush (B), eraser (E). And for the rocker ring I did this: Brush size increase ( [ key), brush size decrease ( ] key), zoom in (CTRL + =), zoom out (CTRL + - And now everything goes a lot more easily for me personally. Maybe this will work for you too. rm-ip-tab-...1ea14a.jpg rm-ip-tab-default-598ffc81ea14a.jpg

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#27

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Rhon
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm right handed and I'm currently scrolling with my left thumb! Just being lazy!

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#28

Funny-left-handers-problems

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HauntedForests
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have this problem too, but I'm right handed. So, needless to say, I don't know how to properly use a can opener. I've even broken a few. :/

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#35

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Jane Van Balen
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Helps being a lefty on the tennis court... can be quite off putting to opponents who are more used to playing against right handers (even for other lefties!)

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#36

Maybe He Was Clever... Nope. Just Didn't Want To Get His Hand Dirty

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Šimon Špaček
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do you poor lefties know that Jewish write and read from right to left? Think about all those poor right-handed Jews!

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#37

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Yasna Minkovska
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a mother of a left handed kid, I've felt the same way, trying to use her lefty scissors :)

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#38

Funny-left-handers-problems

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alexa pretchet
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Me as a right-hander always thought, the designs are for the others, not for me (Because I already know whats on my mug so the design would cheerish the others). Having it on "my side" keeps confusing me a little bit...

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#39

Just Yet Another Leftie Problem

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Sk123 ILP123
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it a thing where people only lift cups with their dominant hand, I subconsciously alternate between the two

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#40

Funny-left-handers-problems

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HauntedForests
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the reason for this is because it would be really cool to meet someone who is ambidextrous? That's my guess anyway.

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#42

Funny Left Handers Problems

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Sara
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Normal cuttlery ettiquette is to use the fork in the left hand, and knife in the right. Change restaurant! ;)

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#43

Funny-Left-Handers-Problems

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Sasy
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember that in school when teachers would try and force kids to write right handed, as though they did it just to spite them or something.

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#44

Funny-left-handers-problems

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Shalini Gogna
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you see another lefty and you feel a littke excuted like "well hello, we are 9% of the worlds population don't you know?"

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#49

Funny Left Handers Problems

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Daria B
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, but this IS customizable. U saw many times the left-handed mouse options. The keyboards mighy be problem, though.

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#50

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Markus McCloud
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm so used to Japanese manga, I instinctively do this for every graphic novel.

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#51

Funny-Left-Handers-Problems

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lasagna's underrated
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7 years ago

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#55

Funny-left-handers-problems

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Michel M. Prins
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the second time in my life I see that kind of spoon. The first time was also in this gallery, a few minutes ago.

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#56

Funny Left Handers Problems

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Clifford Smith
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The struggle is looking at someone holding a pen like that! I write with my left hand, but I have no idea how to write if I held a pen that way!

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#57

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Elizabeth Gatti
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly!! Went to Interpreter Training and as I signed , the instructor (DEAF) said something is not right.....so I learned to to use right hand as dominant. Had 30 year career as Interp and once in a while I would screw up and switch to left as dominant.

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Marie Stoia Joseph
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm so glad it's not just me. I never thought about this being a righthand design but I can only get them to work half the time and then not well lol

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#63

Funny-left-handers-problems

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madcow 3417
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are there right-handed pens, or is this just a nerd problem? *whispers* Cross Tech 3 is pretty awesome.

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#64

Funny-left-handers-problems

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Sasy
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am a touch confused by this one, I understand the motion aspect, but I guess I believed check marks were like symbols, they have to be the way intended ? example is the L in Lefties it is essentially the same thing, but left hand writers don't write them the opposite way...sorry not trying to be a rightie just had never experienced a left handed checkmark before

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#65

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Tiny Dynamine
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not surprising, is it, considering 90% of people are right-handed...

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#67

My Left Handed Brother Is Furious Our Coffee Pot Handle Is Slightly Offset For Righties

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Šimon Špaček
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not sure about your pot but on mine you just need a screwdriver and about ten seconds to change this.

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#73

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Šimon Špaček
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had similar. In Europe. So when I hold it my right hand I saw US. But then I found a trick! Just hold the jar in the less handy hand and my problem was fixed! And I didn't share it on Internet.

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#74

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Justina
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i'm right handed. i use both hands when i cook. i often lift things and pour with my left hand. i can't understand this photo.

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#75

Funny-left-handers-problems

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Markus McCloud
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You think yours is bad? I'm right-handed, and my handwriting is fairly atrocious!

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#77

Funny-left-handers-problems

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#78

The Struggle Is Real

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Liorah Balilah
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gross motor skills are not difficult with the opposite hand. So it should not be difficult turn on a tap or pull a lever etc. Writing is another story.

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#79

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#84

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Master Markus
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I initially thought that I was supposed to be looking at the nail polish that seriously needs to be removed or touched up.

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#86

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Patrick Davies
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mother is also left handed, and she just took a normal guitar, a non-cutaway design, and reversed the string order. Voila, a left hand strung guitar.

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#88

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#92

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Lindy Mac
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

HEY!! Forget right and left...why is the stupid electric socket damn near over the sink. Now THAT is a problem.

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