In Scrabble it is now also allowed to use the opposite gender
Now it's official: The gender stone for Scrabble is coming. Mattel hereby complies with a special language development, which has made it its task not to exclude anyone. However, this stone also brings with it a lucrative points prospect. It is said to be worth a whole 10 points.
Accordingly, it is virtually on a par with the letters here, which occur rather rarely in the German language and are therefore considered particularly attractive among point collectors. In the course of the new options, a new game manual was also created. It, too, has been counter-gendered - and accordingly "overhauled" - so to speak.
Language should be talked about...
This view seems to be held, among others, by the company behind the well-known Scrabble game.
And indeed, there are now numerous studies that show that a society's language has always changed with it. In extreme cases, completely new words were added. Sometimes, only slight adjustments were made. The goal behind gendering is quickly explained: It is about equal treatment and not excluding anyone on the basis of language.
This often happens especially in connection with professions. Those who speak of the "baker" or the "craftsman" repeatedly suggest, among other things, to smaller children (albeit probably unconsciously) that these professions can only be performed by men. Gendering thus makes women more visible. An important development that goes far beyond the appended "*in" and ultimately stands for so much more.
Mattel says it wants to leverage its reach
That Mattel is one of the best-known game manufacturers is beyond question. And it is precisely this reach that the company now wants to exploit by introducing the Genderstein quite officially. A "small detail", namely the fact that its insertion is even worth 10 points, ultimately also underlines the appreciation associated with the appended "*in". This is then just not just a word component, but rather a kind of attitude to life.
Mattel also emphasizes in this context that there are no disadvantages for people as a result of gendering. This is probably a statement in the direction of those who always like to make fun of this kind of language change and who cannot understand how such "bumpy" language can find supporters at all.
Gendering - Opinions differ strongly
Certainly, few topics have been the subject of such heated debate in recent times as gender equality. Many celebrities have also taken the opportunity to comment on this. However, while some fear that the sound of the language could suffer, there are undoubtedly many advocates of gendering in the meantime. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that the "*in" has long since arrived in the media. Anyone who tunes in to a quiz show today often hears about "candidates" or "presenters.
After that, all it really takes is a look at the social networks to witness discussions around the "sense and nonsense" of this kind of language. Many radio and TV stations, wanting to be on the safe side here, decided to let their listeners and viewers vote. In the end, however, one important realization emerged: that it is difficult to satisfy everyone. There are always critics. Regardless of whether they are on one side or the other.
And in all likelihood, Scrabble fans will simply decide for themselves in the future whether they want to play their favorite game with a few more or a few less tiles.