DeTomaso Mailing List: December 2000, Message #52

I didn't just make it up if that's what you mean.  Before I was a geologist, I 
was an anthropologist.  I got brainwashed with that kind of stuff as an 
undergraduate.  The idea does have merit though.  There are all kinds of 
cultural/political artifacts that can be related to right as good and left as 
evil.

Take raising or shaking the right hand as a gesture of peace or friendship.  In 
a right handed society,   the weapons bearing arm (right) is obviously not a 
threat in that situation.  Not only is the right hand occupied but the 
principal weapon was holstered and not easily accessible to the left hand.  The 
peace gesture doesn't work though if one of the two is left handed and can 
stick a knife into your ribs while your combat arm is immobilized in a clasp. 
 In battle, left handers do everything backwards from right handers and right 
handed reflexes (honed versus other right handers) are out the window.  So left 
handed warriors were naturally a scary thing (sinister) in a predominately 
right handed world.

Before the advent of paper toiletries, the left hand (which was much less 
useful for most people in day to day activity than the right) was designated 
for bodily cleaning.  Naturally no one would want to greet and certainly not 
eat with that dirty, foul left hand when everyone knows where it's been. 
 Eating with the left hand is considered a vile thing to do in many cultures 
even today.

Politically speaking, the right is for leaving things alone (mom, apple pie, 
right handed like most people) and the left is for change (different, 
unsettling, scary, left handed subversives).  Just kidding about the subversive 
part.  Actually, I'm one of those boring centrists - right handed naturally, 
but I have several left handed friends who really aren't so bad after you get 
to know them.  I wonder if Randy Newman (you know the 'Short People' guy) is 
left handed.

So like I said, right is good and left is evil.  I just have to figure out how 
to break the news to my left handed Mom.


Dave


P.S. - From personal experience, all Panteras are definitely left handed.  Must 
be one of those love-hate things.



----------
From: 	marytaphorn[SMTP:marytaphorn@email.msn.com]
Sent: 	Wednesday, November 29, 2000 12:00 PM
To: 	David and Marilyn Bell
Subject: 	Re: axle side

Excellent post! Fact or Fiction?

JT
----- Original Message -----
From: "David and Marilyn Bell" <mdbell@flash.net>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <detomaso@realbig.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 10:21 PM
Subject: RE: axle side


> Not that anyone cares but 'S' and 'D' stand for sinistral and dextral.  In
> geological terms (sorry I'm a geologist), sinistral describes left lateral
> throw on a fault while dextral describes right lateral throw.  Those two
words
> have very old links to the left hand and right hand.  Dextral (as in
dexterous)
> was the common hand for wielding weapons as most men are naturally right
> handed.  The few left handed warriors, like left handed pitchers and
hitters in
> baseball, enjoyed a 'sinister' advantage which was viewed with suspicion.
So
> left is sinistral (evil), and right is dextral (good).
>
> I'm right handed myself (good).  Unfortunately my mother and sister are
evil.
>
> OK. I'll shut up now.
>
> Dave
>
> ----------
> From: Kirby Schrader[SMTP:schrader@ev1.net]
> Reply To: Kirby Schrader
> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 6:34 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: Re: axle side
>
> At 19:22 -0500 28/11/00, Eric Smith wrote:
> >Can someone verify my suspicion. If this is designed
> >the way I think it is, the wheel direction should
> >tighten the axle nut.  On the back side of the axle is
> >either an S or a D.  I want to make sure I am correct.
> >  Does the S axle go to the drivers side or the
> >passengers side?  I need to know before tomorrow if
> >someone could be so kind.
>
> D is the right side. It's a right hand thread.
>
> S is the left side. It's a left hand thread.
>
> Just been there and done that on the GT5S.
>
> FWIW,
>
> Kirby
>
>
>
>