Being Left-Handed And The Presidents Of The United States

I've been watching the debates and noticing the candidates as they write anything.

I noticed that both John McCain and Barrack Obama are left handed, and the other runner in the race is right handed. Hillary Clinton tends to gesture with her left hand but any notes she takes are with the right hand.
This got me thinking...

I'm pretty sure the current Bush in the White house is right handed, but let's go back.
Bill Clinton is a lefty.
George H.W. Bush is a lefty.
Ronald Reagan was a lefty.
Jimmy Carter is right handed.
Gerald Ford was a lefty.

Going any further back might be pointless because school systems trained lefties to be right handed for some reason, but it is known Harry S. Truman was a lefty as well.

What I find strange is the predominance of left handed Presidents over the past years when left handed people only make up about 8% of the total population.

Is there something about left handed people that make them seek power ?

I'm left handed, and I don't seek power, in fact, I'd prefer to be left alone, thanks. I do know that left handers rely on a different part of the brain than right handers do. But seriously, being left handed doesn't mean much, it's still a right handed world.

HEY i am a lefty, i do not seek power, and actually like the above poster said, i actually liked to be left alone.

Perfect, you're left handed and say you live in a right handed world.

Not to make you a study case, but what differences do you notice in your daily actions or thinking that is unlike the right handers ?

My husband is a lefty, and I do notice small things, like what side of the sink the soap goes on, or what scissors he uses. This may mean nothing, but I've also noticed that a lot of lefties can be very fastidious to the point of being OCD and have unique abilities that tend to be focused towards one area.

I wonder if more left handed people target specific occupations ?

I'll have to look it up.....

I'm also left handed and I agree with those above, I'm not looking for great power and control. I also agree that left handed people do think a little differently.

I wonder how many left handed individuals are into conspiracy theories??

Originally posted by anxietydisorder
Is there something about left handed people that make them seek power ?

We will arise and crush those of the right handed persuasion. Our time is soon.

Originally posted by anxietydisorder
I wonder if more left handed people target specific occupations ?

Seems like they do, but probably not consciously. Few people would seek out an uncomfortable job.

I'm left, but i lived with rights all my life. I think we do have different concepts from the rest of the world and we do tend to break things down into bits and pieces in our thought process.

I had a grandmother that was totally ambidextrous, and she had the best of both worlds.

Just from a thought from me, LET THE LEFTIES RULE THE WORLD !!!

im a lefty.
i kinda want power, not too much.
enough to be used well.

reply to post by anxietydisorder


Many things are layed out, or set up for, right handed people. A for instance at my job would be the threading on bolts, there is the righty tighty type, and the left handed version, which is righty loosy. Most of the material we receive is layed out in a fashion that's pretty much opposite of what I'd prefer. Most of the OCD thing is actually because the world's a bit flipped, at least for me.
Which is what I meant, since ost people are right handed, most places are layed out from a right handed person's perspective.

As for specific jobs....I've been a lifeguard, worked in manufacturing, been a mechanic, and now I'm moving into computers. Really enjoyed all of those jobs.

It is because left handers are on the whole more intelligent and capable of "thinking outside the box" than right handers, hence their over-representation. You'd be surprised about how many influential left handers there have been...

Ramses
Alexander the Great
Julius Caesar
Joan of Arc
Leonardo Da Vinci
Michelangelo
Raphael
Isaac Newton
Napoleon Bonaparte
Beethoven
Queen Victoria
Lewis Carrol
Mark Twain
Friedrich Nietzsche
Henry Ford
Marie Curie
Mahatma Gandhi
Charlie Chaplin
Babe Ruth
Alan Turing
Jimi Hendrix
Paul McCartney
Bill Gates

...and those presidents.

There is speculation that being left handed gives one an evolutionary advantage over right handers.

Barrack Obama and Dick Cheney ARE COUSINS.

Google it. Youtube it. There is something not right about it, and the fact that it is so rarely mentioned only amplifies people's suspicions.

I'm a lefty, but put a golf club/cricket bat/baseball bat in my hand and I will take the right handed stance purely because my brain and body just cannot organise themselves to take a left handed stance.

Give me a pool cue then I'm a leftie, played left back at football because I kick with my left foot, left is my strongest side, yet give me a arm wrestle and I will use my right arm.

I think America could do with me been the next President

Sorry for going off topic.

Wolfie

reply to post by anxietydisorder

I'm sure that I've posted in a thread about left handedness on ATS before but I cant recall the specifics.
I am left handed and would say that I 'think outside the box': but am not interested in power. However, I do think that maybe the way left handers interact with the world results in them developing strong leadership qualities.

i am right-handed, but my brother and father are left-handed. they are content with what life hands to them, and i have never known either of them to question the religion or beliefs they were taught growing up. both are stable people, who take pride in their jobs and family. they are great at what they do, but beyond their specialty or beliefs, they have little or no idea what's going on in the world.

i would be shocked to find them here on ATS, so from my experience, i am [and they would agree] more abnormally open-minded. i guess if you want to look at who is the more power-seeker, it would be them, not me.

i doubt that helps, but there's my two copper pieces.

Originally posted by 1Angrylightbulb

I wonder how many left handed individuals are into conspiracy theories??

Judging from this past thread

there are a good many.

I am also a lefty but can do a lot with both hands, and I just want my family and myself to survive...I don't want power or control.

And I want those who think they own the world to leave us alone.

[edit on 25-2-2008 by ShadowEyes]

I'm a lefty. I have never sought leadership roles, but have had to be in that position from time to time. Though I don't avoid it, I'd just as soon do my own thing and be left alone.

I write left-handed, and play guitar left-handed. I can do everything left or right handed, but play guitar or write.

When I was in second grade, the teacher was an old battle-ax, who, whenever she saw me writing left-handed, would grab my hand and hit it with a ruler, all of the while broadcasting at the top of her voice, "Retarded peiple write with their left hands. This is not a retarded class, and you are not a retarded child, so stop acting like one!". (no, this was not a catholic school.)

It did not realize that maybe I wasn't the one with the problem, so I didn't say anything to my mom about it, and this went on past the christmas holidays. Finally one day, she grabbed my hand, went to take her swing, and I grabbed the ruler from her, smacked her hand about four good times, and said, "That didn't feel good at all, did it?".

I found myself in the office, talking to the principal, and when my mom got to school, her. I was ashamed to admit what the problem was, and what caused me to smack a teacher with a ruler. When I finally admitted what caused me to snap, my mother, (normally a calm woman), went ballistic. The principal called a couple of the other kids from my class in, talked to them in his office, and verified what I'd told him.

I think the teacher got to retire ahead of time. I was just happy that the ordeal with her was over.

I know that for years, I tried to do as much as possible right-handed, and finally, just did what comes naturally, because it's like trying to climb a waterfall.

Well heres my opinion.


if your left handed, means you cant do anything right.

reply to post by sarentack

*snicker*

I would like to know how many right handed presidents there are, how many emperors, kings, chiefs, ect.

Alright, so there have been about six or so presidents that were definetly left handed, out of fourty three. So, take that from fraction to percentage is...
About 7.1 %. Someone'll have to check my math here, but from that number I'd have to say that's about right on the money.
But, It's been a while since I've done fraction to percentage, so someone'll have to check it for me. Now I may be off, since there may have been a few more presidents that were left hande, but two or three won't mess that up to badly.

Originally posted by RuneSpider

I would like to know how many right handed presidents there are, how many emperors, kings, chiefs, ect.

Probably many, and your math is probably spot on.
I just happen to notice a predominance of left handed Presidents within my lifetime.

Two out of the 3 runners are certainly left handed. I have no idea about Ralph Nader, but now that he's entered the race I'll be watching for it.
He certainly leans to the left in his political views.

reply to post by anxietydisorder


Okay, but my point is that really, we are about where we should be in terms of left handed presidents. As for the number of left handed candidates, and using someones views as to whether or not they are left handed... Well, we just have to wait and see. Personally, I think you are trying to say something against lefties here, or at least that's what it seems.