Originally posted by me on antipartisan.org
What do you think about when you hear the word "sinister"? You're probably thinking evil, sadistic, dark and mean. Did you know the word itself used to mean nothing more than a reference to something "on the left side"? How exactly did this word come to mean all of these bad things? As the primary authority of what is wrong and right in the last 2000 years, let's look to the Christian faith for our answer:
Quote:
|
Christianity is strongly biased towards the right hand. It is the right hand that gives the blessing and makes the sign of the cross. On one count, the bible contains over 100 favourable reference to the right-hand and 25 unfavourable references to the left-hand.*
|
Through typical Christian teachings, a subconscious relation is formed beween 'right' and 'good' while 'left' is paired with 'bad' and 'shameful'.
When you look about how that affects us in today's world, you need to look no further than politics. Who can you find in the right-wing of the political spectrum but conservative, religious republicans (and other denominations)? While on the left side, there are the 'loose, immoral and insipid' liberals.
I haven't been able to research much about the word "right" at this moment, but it's link between physical placement, the concept of being correct, and it's holy implications of righteousness all tie together very well. The word "left" is derived from Old English, meaning "weak" and so it's poltical weight and reputation lies on more than just what parties are associated with it.
For irony, you might take a look at the TV show The Simpsons, whose resident god-fearing bible thumper Ned Flanders is left-handed. How does he live with himself?