Would you not play a word in Scrabble to spare someone's feelings?
This morning – had a 7-letter word on a triple word block. It would have given me something like 83 points.
The word was S-U-I-C-I-D-E—the D was a blank.
Here’s the issue – there was recently a suicide in this person’s extended family, and she still is affected by that event – shocked, a little depressed, and definitely not over it.
Knowing that history, would you have played the word? Knowing that it could have triggered unpleasant memories?
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I would not have played it. Good call.
Yeah I probably wouldn’t have played it either. A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me that his dad had cancer and not more than ten minutes later I described a particularly troublesome mutual acquaintance of ours as a “cancer that needs to be cut out”. He didn’t say anything but I felt awkward about that for days afterward…
Would not have played it.
I have been avoiding the word (and the first years even the subject) for 3 to 4 years, when I was in the company of my girlfriend (when we were in public places and/or in the company of others), after her brother had taken his own life.
(We did talk about it, much, in the privacy of our home.)
I use the same care when it’s about rape.
Even if there was no suicide in the room, I wouldn’t play it. I never use negative words when playing Scrabble.
Points in a Scrabble game worths nothing in the long run.
In that particular case, probably not.
I challenge you to Words With Friends @Mimi!
I would play the word knowing that all players understood that I did not choose beforehand the letters of the word. Mature players, no matter the situation, would know that. Tough call, but it is a game after all.
Agreed. I would have skipped it. It’s just a game after all.
In terms of rationality, I think @kritiper is right, but I wouldn’t have played it either. Not because of unpleasant memories but just because it might seem to trivialize a horrific event by turning it into a move in a game.
What’s the worst that can happen? If I don’t play it, I miss some points in a game. If I do, possible distress for a friend. Easy choice.
I wouldn’t have played it. I don’t have that measure of control over my mouth. Born without a filter.
Offhand I can’t think of anyone I know that I would judge that delicate. Of course I would spare someone’s feelings If I believed them so vulnerable.
I would only play it if the “C” was on a triple word score.
I also would not have played it.
@stanleybmanly, I see your point. But I also wonder how their degree of vulnerability would compare before and after a family member’s suicide. In general I think most of us try not to expose our vulnerabilities, but that one can cut pretty raw.
No…only a game anyway..Why traumatize a person over a game?
How many points would you get for S-U-I-C-I-D-E.
@kritiper I would like to respectfully disagree with you. I’m playing a game, for fun. I don’t see any point in putting heavy, negative words on the table. Even when my friends were all happy people with no apparent struggle, I still wouldn’t choose any negative words, let alone such words that can’t be interpreted in any humorous way like suicide.
This is just my personal value. I myself can handle negative words without problem. I just don’t want to shove them in people’s face. And there is time and place for everything. I put a lot of heavy stuff in my writing, but not in a fun situation like Scrabble.
And btw that comes from someone who is currently writing a story that features suicide.
I would definitely not play it. Not for the few points in a game that was probably helping a friend get their mind off the subject
@TJFKAJ S=1, U=1, I=1, C=3,
I =1, D(blank)=0, E=1.
(1+1+1+3+1+0+1) × 3
=8×3 =24
That reflects normal letter values with the blank tile representing “D” with one of the letters on a “Triple Word Play”.
It doesn’t reflect any other double word plays, or double or triple letter plays.
We play scrabble often. During COVID lockdowns last year it was at least 6 games a week if not daily. These days maybe four days a week. We’ve played plenty of ‘offensive’ words.
Part of me agrees with @kritiper that people get the tiles they get and should play the words they can.
But I’d have to say if I know my opponent would have a bad time with a word due to personal history – and it’s a normal friendly game – I’d probably come up with something else to do with the tiles.
If my opponent is a ruthless competitor then… a trigger word is just the thing to mess ‘em up and I’d play it for sure.
@Mimishu1995 To each his/her own, I suppose…
Your call, purely.
The word is already out there in the general atmosphere anyway, so…...........
@kneesox and considering the blank tile, there must be other words yielding comparable scoring opportunities: cuisine for instance. It might be fun to figure some out.
I too believe that unless you are playing the game to take your opponent’s mind off the tragedy, you should be expected to play the tiles you’ve been dealt. A requirement for happy or uplifting words is (I believe) irrelevant to scrabble strategy.
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