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Side of bed debate - Which side is left? (lemmy.world)

submitted 5 months ago by Mostly_Harmless_Variant@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Which side of the bed is the left side? Is the answer based on the perspective of laying in the bed (person's head at the head end)? Is the answer based on viewing it from the foot of the bed, looking at the head of the bed? Is there an "anatomical position" or special terminology like in boating for this?

For context: My boyfriend and I can't agree on this. We change who gets which side based on the shoulder we'd predominantly sleep on and how it's feeling. This let's us get good cuddles before shoulder pain gets irritated. He comes to bed after me. A while back he asked what side I'm sleeping on. I said "left". Later that night, he comes in and almost lays directly on me because he claims "left" is the other side. Since then we have to describe which side using complicated descriptions.

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[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I have a problem with right and left, and this question illustrates it pretty well. I tend to give directions as east, west, north, south. Left and right move around when you do, so can't really be assigned to stationary items like a bed. Our bed has a northwest side and a southeast side.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

There are whole tribes of people who have no words for left and right but have words for the cardinal directions; and all directions or labeling is based on one's position and facing in these directions. "put this in your East hand" could be an imperative in the culture.

Having said that, leverage stage direction: Left and Right is Audience Left and Right, whereas Stage Left and Stage Right also exists and is generally the reverse. For instance, I exit Stage Left but to look at it you'd think it was the Right.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Those do exist, if you exit stage left facing away from the audience it stays put. Which side of your bed do you seat your audience and can we get a ticket to the performance?

[–] Mostly_Harmless_Variant@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Left/right are ambiguous terms.

Your solution would be a great way to practice spatial awareness. Could get exhausting constantly reorienting to where is north, but would benefit us in any post apocalyptic future.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

My dance teachers always gave up and started using directions like "toward the mirror, towards the back wall, toward the door, toward the window" because right or left always a slight pause while I was figuring out which is which, and probably not just me. Once the dance was learned it was fine. Jazzercise teachers have to announce backwards (yell right when they are themselves going left), they wanted me to teach but sure it would break my hold on R/L entirely.

Driving it's easier, left is the side with oncoming traffic here. But when giving directions I'm not driving and revert to the N,S,E,W - I am not a compass, just lived here a long time, I had a friend who was a compass, you could blindfold her, spin her around a bunch till dizzy and she could still find north, blindfolded.