An Under-appreciated Minority

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Photo Credit: Trevor LaVine

Notebooks aren’t user-friendly for the left-handed students of Glen Rock High School.

by Anna Lis, Chief Photographer

“All men are created equal,” says the Declaration of Independence: well our ancestors clearly did not take lefties into account when writing these famous words.

Ten percent of the entire population is left-handed. There is blatant discrimination against lefties right here in Glen Rock High School, so we set out to pinpoint the source of the problem.

Branded with the cliché that lefties are more creative than righties, we decided to take a further look into life as a lefty. As two lefties, our feelings towards the lefty population may be one-sided at best, but hey, it is justified.

Studies show that lefties are more likely to have an IQ above 131, according to St. Lawrence University. This is unfortunate considering the aforementioned statistic that only 10% of the population our lefties.

When we ventured into the Senior Lounge, we found that 1 out of 10 people were left-hand dominant. The same statistic was true when we stopped in the cafeteria. However, when we went to the art room to survey a Media Arts class, we found that 6/10 people were left handed. Perhaps this confirms the stereotype that lefties are more creative? Do they take the class to fit the stereotype or do they take the class because they are creative?

We asked Margaret Rae whether she feels the pressures of filling the lefty stereotypes or whether she feels any biases as a lefty. She was deeply saddened at the question we posed to her about lefties being different, and her only comment was that “lefties are no different than righties.”

The lack of lefties leaves equal opportunities in the office supply world at a minimum. Forget about being able to write in your three ring binder: you will be popping that paper out of those menacing three rings for the rest of your life.

“I don’t like how they write on the board, it freaks me out,” a disturbed student, who shall remain anonymous for her discretion, said (fingers crossed she does not get a career in designing office supplies).