An Intriguing Lefty-Righty Distinction I Hadn’t Noticed Before

I’m usually very attuned to handedness, but a recent restaurant visit taught me something new.

I’m left-handed. Perhaps as a result, I’ve always been very attuned to other people’s handedness. If the server at a restaurant is writing down my order with her left hand, I notice; if a character in a movie is carving the holiday roast with his left hand, I notice; if, as recently happened, I come across a magazine illustration featuring three people firing guns left-handed, I notice.

This illustration, showing three left-handed gunners, appeared in the Nov. 25, 2024 issue of The New Yorker. The illustrator presumably made this choice because the characters’ faces would have been partially obscured if they’d been depicted shooting right-handed.. (Illustration by Nada Hayek)

Even if you’re not left-handed, you’re probably aware that lots of things in this world, from school desks and scissors to can openers and notebooks, are configured for righties. But it turns out that there’s one important thing — something we all use multiple times per day — that’s actually configured for lefties, and I never realized it until recently.