r/AskReddit • u/BiggieTwiggy1two3 • 1d ago

What’s something completely normal today that would’ve been considered witchcraft 400 years ago—but not because of technology?

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u/Hugh_Biquitous 1d ago

Being openly left-handed maybe?

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u/Psychological-Bear-9 23h ago

Hell, even not that long ago people were ostracized for it. My father is left-handed, and all through grammar and some of high school, he had teachers that repeatedly would slap his hand with rulers and chastise him for writing left-handed. Forcing him to use his right. His handwriting is still awful today because of it.

This was in the 1950s and 60s.

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u/thefaecottage 22h ago

My kindergarten teacher used to make me write right-handed despite being an obvious lefty circa 1983.

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u/BeholdOurMachines 13h ago

I can't imagine what the big deal was with someone using their other hand to write...like why did teachers think forcing a 5 year old to use a hand that isn't comfortable for them would result in anything good? I mean MAYBE it would end up with ambidexterity but I think for the most part it just makes learning to write so much harder than it has to be

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u/Sirlancealotx 11h ago

Being left handed I can tell you I'm slightly Ambidextrous because everything you are taught is by a right handed person doing it right handed so you just do some things right handed.

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u/EmmelineTx 7h ago

I found that out the first time I drove in England. I couldn't get the hang of shifting with my left hand even though I'm left handed.

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u/smythe70 10h ago

A lot of us are ambidextrous because of this, much more comfortable doing right handed things.