Orientation Without Preference: Why No Planet Rotates the "Wrong Way"

Descriptions of planetary rotation frequently rely on language such as “tilted,” “on its side,” or “rotating the wrong way,” implicitly assuming the existence of a preferred spatial orientation defined by gravity or system-wide alignment. This paper argues that no such preferred orientation exists. Planetary spin directions and axial tilts are outcomes of local angular momentum histories operating under structural and dissipative constraints, not deviations from a physically meaningful standard. By distinguishing chosen reference frames from physical law, we show that so-called anomalous rotations do not require special explanation beyond formation and reconfiguration history. The persistence of “wrong-way” framing reflects a gravity-first interpretive bias rather than a dynamical inconsistency. Clarifying this distinction removes unnecessary anomaly narratives and restores orientation to its proper role as a descriptive, not causal, construct in planetary dynamics.