"Word History: One of the few overlooked persecuted minorities left in the world is left-handers. The speech police have not yet begun to investigate the sinistrally prejudicial words in English. Sinister began as the Latin word for "left" or "left-handed", then expanded to mean "presaging evil". A "left-handed compliment" is one with a hidden insult. Finally, there is the French word for "left-handed", gauche, which also means "awkward, inept, clumsy". Should we quarantine these words from our vocabulary as we do slurs against other minorities? "
Originally posted by karoly aczel I was wrapped by my parents for writing(and drawing) with my left hand.
Funny they never noticed I threw a frisbee with my right, used scissors, batted right handed in cricket and a quite a few other ambidexterous behaviours.
Not to mention my right hand is noticeably stronger than the left
I did everything as a lefty until I started playing baseball really young.
I didn't own my own glove so I had to use another kid's all of which were
right handed. So I ended up playing baseball right handed, basketball I'm
equally bad with either hand, but favor my right dribbling.
Originally posted by karoly aczel I was wrapped by my parents for writing(and drawing) with my left hand.
Funny they never noticed I threw a frisbee with my right, used scissors, batted right handed in cricket and a quite a few other ambidexterous behaviours.
Not to mention my right hand is noticeably stronger than the left
Originally posted by JS357 "Word History: One of the few overlooked persecuted minorities left in the world is left-handers. The speech police have not yet begun to investigate the sinistrally prejudicial words in English. Sinister began as the Latin word for "left" or "left-handed", then expanded to mean "presaging evil". A "left-handed compliment" is one with a hidden insult. Finally, ...[text shortened]... we do slurs against other minorities? "
"Should we quarantine these words from our vocabulary as we do slurs against other minorities?"
Interesting point. By quarantining words do you think we will change minds? I never would have thought that "sinister" might be related to being left handed till I read your post. Seems a superstitious notion that if one is left handed they are then somehow sinister. Righties are just as likely to be sinister as lefties I would think.
Quarantining words is like burning books in my opinion. We should quarantine people that teach superstitions like "there is no God". Just kidding! 😉
Persecution of lefties
22 Dec '14 20:46
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