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Jakarta Post

Left-handers refuse to be held back by stigma

The fact that civilizations around the world have generally esteemed the right hand more than the left has taken its toll on left-handed people who constantly battle stigma, being forced to use their less-favored hand to avoid negative connotations

Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, October 18, 2019

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Left-handers refuse to be held back by stigma

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span>The fact that civilizations around the world have generally esteemed the right hand more than the left has taken its toll on left-handed people who constantly battle stigma, being forced to use their less-favored hand to avoid negative connotations.

Since childhood, Prawiro Sudirjo, 41, a teacher from Bekasi, West Java, has been used to criticism from relatives and even strangers for using “the wrong hand”. Born a left-handed person, Prawiro has to constantly fight against the impression of behaving improperly or being rude

“I often get scolded by angkot [public minivan] drivers because I hand them money using my left hand, they say I am rude. It’s just one of many struggles left handed people face in their daily lives. Being a left-handed person in Indonesia is hard because a lot of people consider the left hand as the bad hand or the devil’s hand,” he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Prawiro said his struggle was even harder during his school days, as his teachers kept forcing him to write using his right hand and his friends bullied him for not being able to do so.

“For decency, I have to use my right hand to do several things like eating, shaking hands and saluting the national flag, because it’s just unacceptable to do it using the left hand,” he added.

Being forced to write with the right hand at school is a common experience that was also shared by Ron, 30. “Living as a left-handed person in Indonesian culture, you’re just bound to face many challenges. When I was in school my teacher forced me to write with my right hand causing me to fall behind whenever I tried to write notes. Even now there are angkot drivers who refuse to stop for me when I forget to hail the angkot using my right hand,” he told the Post on Sunday, adding that his relatives also scolded him a lot for giving them things using his left hand.

Ron, who is a Muslim, said he had taught himself to eat using his right hand. “It’s forbidden to eat using the left hand in Islam, so I taught myself to eat using my right hand. It took me about six months to be able to do it well and I’ve been encouraging other Muslim lefties to do the same,” he said.

Ron is of the opinion that the discrimination aimed at left-handed people also stems from the fact that only around 10 percent of the population is left-handed.

Meanwhile, despite admitting she had faced many criticisms for being left-handed, Christiana Jusanti, an office worker from Bekasi chose to face her struggles in a more light-hearted manner.

“I do receive a lot of criticism from my coworkers and even strangers who consider me rude for using my left hand, I explain that I am left-handed and they usually understand, and we will just laugh about it,” she said.

Similar to Prawiro and Ron, Christiana said her teacher had forced her to write using her right hand in school.

“I studied in a Catholic school, so the rules were rather strict. My teacher told me numerous times to write using my right hand, but I insisted on using my left hand so they called my parents,” she said, laughing.

Christiana said there were times she had to compromise using her weaker hand for politeness sake.

“During important meals with my bosses, I have to eat using my right hand out of courtesy, but I don’t really mind, I just think of it as a part of table manners,” she said.

The challenges and struggles Christiana, Ron and Prawiro face in their daily lives prompted them to join the Indonesia Left-handers Community (KOKI), an online community established in 2009 by Danang Ario Baskoro.

The community consists of people who are born left-handed, people who are unable to use their right hands after accidents, or parents who have left-handed children. Currently the community has around 2,000 members from all over Indonesia.

Members of the group, Prawiro said, share their struggles being lefties in Indonesia and encourage each other. They also organize meetings and events and go on TV and radio to promote their cause: creating a better environment for left-handed people.

“Many members share their stories of being discriminated against because they are lefties. Some members who are chefs or waiters say they are continuously being scolded by their bosses because they keep forgetting to serve the food using their right hands,” he added.

Prawiro, contributes to the group by helping the younger members of the community to embrace their “left-handedness” and motivating them to boost their confidence.

“I tell the community members who are still in school they don’t need to feel discouraged for being left-handed. I tell them there are many famous people and athletes who are also left handed,” he said.

According to Ron many members feel more empowered after joining the community. “Our members come from various professions and different ages. There are also members who are psychologists who can give advice to deal with the challenges of being a lefty, like criticism from teachers or bosses or even bullying. Many members have told me that they have found more courage and confidence after joining the community,” he said.

The perception that the left hand is viewed as a less noble hand can be seen in various cultures throughout history.

Erickson Arthur Siahaan, the founder of the Jakarta Left Handed Community, said that in the 16th century, when the power of the Christian church was dominant in Europe, left-handers were often affiliated with the devil. While in the East, the left hand was often seen as a dirty, unlucky hand, and many parents prohibited their children from using their left hands as their dominant hands.

“Until the 1960s, it was common in Europe to convert left-handers to right-handers. It was also true in business. For example, no tools for left-handers were ever produced unless specified,” he said.

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