The mysterious link between journalism and left-handedness

Put your hand up if you are a writer, editor or photographer and you are left-handed. I want to know.

You see, I am left-handed too. I feel your pain, your joy.

Yes, it’s a bit of a curse. Maybe a slight advantage if you are a baseball pitcher who can command a high price.

But I think that, on the positive side, we ooze creativity, leadership flows through our pores, we have a razor sharp sense of humour, and we have that edgy, eccentric side that infuses our stories with wit and style.

Now before all you righties get up in arms, I am not saying that lefties are more creative, funnier or have more leadership skills.

I think what lefties write and produce is just different. Not better. Lefties sometimes see the world differently and it comes across in their writing and photography.

Seriously, I really think there is something going on here between what we chose as a profession and left-handedness.

Mind you, I can’t find definitive proof, just a bunch of sites that either validate or dispel the notion.

My theory is based on what I’ve seen over the years. I like to spot trends or commonalities. And I think I’ve spotted a big one, and I don’t know if anybody else is making this connection.

A large percentage of writers, editors and photographers at the Toronto Star are southpaws. Or at least they were until recent staffing changes.

I guess the newsroom is so big, so open, so sprawling that I got a good overview of who was a portsider and who wasn’t.

I saw lefties in sports, on the photo desk, and elsewhere. They seemed to be everywhere. I didn’t take it to the next level and commission a study or poll. I let my eyes be the judge.

In the general population, lefties make up around 10 per cent of the population. I think it’s less. I know of only two lefties among all the friends I’ve had over the years.

But going by published percentages, if there are 200 people in our newsroom, that would suggest up to 20 are left-handed. I would say it’s higher.

Yes, of course, lefties are in banking and accounting too, but from my vantage point, they have definitely infiltrated the newsroom.

I believe left-handers are creatively inclined due to this left-brain, right-brain thing. Left-handed people have right-hemisphere dominant brains that control language and speech patterns.

Here is just a small sampling of the famous journalists who are left-handed: Dave Barry, David Broder, Ted Koppel, Vin Scully.

So, perhaps we have the creative gene.

Among the musicians: Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, the late Glenn Frey.

So, perhaps we have the artistic gene.

Some of the best-known stand-up comedians are left-handed too: Don Rickles, Howie Mandel, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld.

So, perhaps we have the funny gene.

Three of the last four U.S. presidents have been left-handed: Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Barack Obama.

Maybe we have the leadership gene too.

Yeah, I know what some are thinking. The study of etymology suggests an old link between left-handedness and the word “sinister.”

You’ll find that John Dillinger and the Boston Strangler were left-handed.

That brings me to my next point. I don’t think there’s evil behind all this, but maybe I can buy into a sort of outrageous, flaky or eccentric quality.

I’m only slightly outrageous, so I wanted to get that out of the way early.

I’ve been a sports fan all my life, and I’ve noticed that the craziest, flakiest, most temperamental athletes seemed to be left-handers.

Consider tennis: the most volatile players have been John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Jeff Tarango. All lefties.

And has there ever been a more creative genius on the court than McEnroe?

You might not know about Tarango, but he once famously became unglued after being charged with verbal abuse of an umpire and walked off the court mid-match. You can check YouTube for that incident.

Okay, let’s talk baseball. You’ve heard of Bill (Spaceman) Lee? You know about the craziness of John Rocker. You also know that David Wells was in a pretty interesting head space as a Blue Jay hurler.

All lefties.

I think this eccentricity and volatility comes because some lefties, not all, see the world differently and they don’t understand why the rest of the world doesn’t get it.

Some lefties, of course, have the same temperament as righties, and some righties have the temperament of a lefty. I don’t want to generalize too much here.

Being left-handed didn’t really give me any advantages in life. In fact, it made it worse because lefties are notoriously sloppy writers because they have to drag their hands across the page to write, smearing ink. I still hate taking notes.

I’d be curious to know how many of us lefties are out there in the artistic, creative world. Admit it. I won’t tell a soul.

If you’re a lefty, be proud. And if you’re a righty and you spot a lefty, let them know you think they’re special.

It’s hard sometimes because even our common expressions favour the righties. You have the right stuff. You do things the right way. You are the right person for this job.

But if you’re a lefty, what do you hear? When you do something that’s a pleasant surprise, you are told this came out of left field.

Lefties aren’t totally left behind.

Consider this: We are so special that we have a whole day to honour ourselves. On Aug. 13, it’s International Left-handers Day.

After all, don’t you think it’s just the right thing to do?

For those counting, my retirement clock is now at 44 days.

This is my daily countdown of stories and memories from a 40-year career of writing and editing at the Toronto Star, the Sarnia Observer, Edmonton Report, Edmonton Journal and Toronto Sun. I will retire at the end of April. I will be 63 and ready to reinvent myself. Into what I have no idea yet. Suggestions welcome.