When you say they don't work, do you mean they don't cut, or they just feel awkward? If they don't cut, it's because your fingers are pulling the blades apart

When you say they don't work, do you mean they don't cut, or they just feel awkward? If they don't cut, it's because your fingers are pulling the blades apart instead of pushing them together. If they just feel awkward, it's because the blade that is on "top" is obscuring your view of the cut, because the sharp edge is facing away from you. Rotating the scissors doesn't turn them into the other kind for the same reason that rotating yourself doesn't turn you into a mirror image.