forced right handed

[AusHam]

My story is that all my life, I was born into a Chinese family as leftie and have been forced to use my right hand since a kid and have had to basically live up to the expectations of a society, which in my opinion has always been pretty critical of me. I've managed to cope over the years, but I feel that I'm really just conforming rather than being the individual I was born to be.

Do others here feel the same way? If so, how could we make Australian society more understanding and empathetic rather than what I have experienced as condascending and cold. 

[white knight]

Hi Ausham, wlecome to beyond Blue Forums,

I think you have discovered incompetence.  Many people in our world are in positions of authority that shouldnt be there.  Politicians that shouldnt be, professionals in positions that dont deserve to be there (i.e. adequate qualifications and zero ability) and parents or guardians that do wrong things to children be it serious or not.

Making left handed kids write right handed goes back many decades in Australian society, just before I was born in 1956. I'm left handed. But hold a tennis racket right handed lol.

It is irregularities we just have to accept in an imperfect society made up by humans that are imperfect...

[Vegetarian Marshmallow]

It's interesting that you feel that way.  Can you switch to using your left hand now, or is the pressure still there to be right-handed?

I'm right-handed, but interested in ambidexterity, so whenever I think to do it, I'll do something left-handed just for fun.  I see it as an amusing challenge.  Maybe you could try to look at right-handedness that way, if using your left hand in public life isn't possible?

[AusHam]

There's no pressure for me anymore, however unfortunately I've grown into a habit and dependency on my right hand.

A few months ago, I bought a lego kit which I use to assemble with my left hand. I did this exercise quite regularly for a while. Just a bit lazy now to get back into it. I also play piano each day to sharpen my dexterity.

My mum who is a nurse told me that victims of brain stroke often have to start using their other hand.

[Vegetarian Marshmallow]

Are there other things about yourself you've had to make fit in?  I'm curious because I wouldn't expect handedness to be something that most people would consider as a really important part of their identity.  Is there something requiring dexterity that is particularly important to you (piano, maybe)?

[geoff]

dear AusHam, interesting post, because at state school I started writing with my left hand while my twin was right hand, but the teacher told him to hit (gently) me if I picked up the pencil with my left hand.

My eldest brother writes with his left hand, plays golf right hand, kicks the football with his left foot so he's ambidextrous.

We live in a funny world or is it................Geoff.