Right Handed or Left Handed

Approximately 70% of the world's population are right handed, the rest are mostly left handed and in rare circumstances ambidextrous, meaning that an individual is equally comfortable using either the left hand or the right hand. It's no surprise that industry has favored right handed people over left, considering the large market for exists for right handed people over left. Some examples of products that are made for right handed people include scissors, can openers, refrigerators and microwave ovens, cameras the list goes on.

Although it is seemingly discriminatory to favor one group over another, it is nonetheless not surprising considering that industry would make very little money catering to left handed individuals given the small percentage.

I find it interesting though, that because left handed individuals are a smaller percentage, many of the similar prejudices exist against them. For example, in many cultures it is considered rude to shake hands with the left hand. This is most likely as a result of personal hygiene where the vast majority of people in a specific culture wipe themselves using their left hand, and therefore shaking hands with the left hand is considered offensive.

Even political affiliation is played along the lines of Right & Left, where those whose political affiliations stray to conservatism, are said to be on the Right. Conservatives are considered to be more interested in preserving the status-quo, whereas those with a Liberal affiliations are considered to be on the left, and consider ideologies that aren't necessarily in keeping the current social mores of the period.

Considering that a the word 'Right' meaning 'just, good, fair, proper, straight' has been used for centuries to erroneously favor those who use the 'Right Hand' rather than the 'Left Hand' one gets a sense of how stereotypes can flourish.