Dumasaphobia

From the time you are in pre-school or kindergarten, you are taught the most basic of things.  Motor skills, focus and to do basic functions.  One of the most basic of things you learn is how to tell what is left and what is right.  At the time, it may not yet be clear if you are right or left handed.  Though it is usually around this time you learn what hand you will primarily use for the rest of your life.  While there are more right handed people than left, the basic concept will never change.

The other day I took a call from a customer, I asked them to find certain things on their computer screen.  When we got to where I wanted the customer to read to me what he saw, he just could not focus on the right side of the screen.  Every time I asked him to read something, he always started on the left.  This took many tries to get him to understand he was looking left, when I wanted him to look right.  After much frustration, he finally got what I wanted him to see.  He apologized for not understanding me, and told me “I’m sorry I’m left handed”.

This is when I thought to myself, what does that have to do with anything?  You should still know where your right hand is.  I’m right handed and when I need to look left, I can do it without question.  I mean, just how dumb do you have to be to not have such a basic skill mastered?

Kind of scares me to think how dangerous he might be on the streets behind the wheel.