Every time we turn around, it seems there is another ruckus caused by the presence of a word in some game or another, but when it's in Scrabble, it raises a brow or two. After all, isn't Scrabble all about words and the vast depth of language? Apparently, not everyone thinks so. A parent in Northern Ireland received quite a shock when playing Ubisoft's Europe-only Scrabble DS recently with his seven year-old daughter. It seems they were playing in junior mode -- which strips the obviously offensive words from the official Scrabble word list -- and the word "lesbo" came up. The parent, Zachary McAdam, has called for a recall of the game based on the word's inclusion in the junior mode, because he finds it offensive.The problem is, who decides which words are "offensive?" According to the definition in the dictionary used by Ubisoft's title, "lesbo" is a "Derogatory slang short form of lesbian. Although lesbo did not become current until 1940s: previously used by heterosexuals as derisive insults to gay women, though it seems that gay women are now using the words to describe themselves in positive terms." And that last part certainly seems to be true -- you can even find the reflected in popular culture (used by individuals and characters to self-identify in a tongue-in-cheek manner). Not even all homosexuals can agree on whether or not "lesbo" is offensive; according to qWords. org, a "a collaboratively-edited collection of queer language," "lesbo" is just "a diminutive form of lesbian." It is not labeled as usually offensive when used, as are some other words. It seems even "lesbo" can have multiple meanings and implications.
