Sorry for running a bit late with this one. Things that the letter “X” can signify, ranked by my overall positive and negative feelings toward each! (Hey, I’m not going to pretend to be unbiased, like some other listmakers I can think of…)
Kissing! The XOXO still used to close off some messages is a universal sign of friendliness.
Treasure. X marks the spot, don’t you know.
Intersex. Though this gender identity is sometimes signified by an “I” instead, it seems like “X” is gaining ground.
Malcolm X. One of the great civil rights figures of the twentieth century or any age. “There is no better teacher than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”
Marvel’s mutants. X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force…while it can all get a bit x-cessive, the X-comics deserve some credit for extending a civil rights metaphor further than it could go in any other format, then inspiring hit movies to do the same.
OSX. I’ve pretty much parted company with Macs these days, and Mac has moved on from OSX. But kudos to this system for its clarity, simplicity, and willingness to rethink the user experience.
XXXTentacion/DMX. There are lots of “X’s” in music, enough for a whole list all by themselves. But I had to give attention to these two hip-hop juggernauts, both known sometimes as “X” and both no longer with us.
The horror movie. I’ve mentioned it in this space before, but it’s worth a repeat. X (2022) is a one-of-a-kind rethink of the slasher genre, with an unconventional villain and a brilliant bit of casting.
Roman ten. This one’s seeing a little mini-renaissance at theaters these days, thanks to the release of Fast X and Saw X.
The X Games. It seems like there’s an unaddressed conflict at the heart of the X Games, an attempt to impose profitable organization on sports that thrive on outlaw energy. Their attitude toward drug testing, best summed up as “What’s that? Never heard of it” is also a bit concerning. Still, this can be a platform for some great achievements that wouldn’t be recognized as much any other way.
What you solve for. Algebra is our first step toward understanding math in a broader sense. Lots of people talk about merely “surviving” it in junior high, like they’re battle-scarred veterans. But it’s too darn useful to rank any lower here.
Planet X. The notion of an extra planet orbiting the sun has some romance and magic, and it’s an appealing explanation for some data about our solar system. But it’s been only theory since the days when we called Pluto a planet—and now that we don’t, the double meaning of “Planet X/Planet Ten” no longer works. The idea also loses some appeal when I remember that it’s connected to the legend of Nibiru, the “doomsday planet” that some people take way too seriously.
Generation X. They grew up playing by the rules of a Boomer-dominated world, and now they’re getting lumped in with the Boomers by the millennials and younger. I don’t really identify with my generational cohort—I feel like saying “I’m generation ___, so I think ___” is just opting out of intelligent thought. But when I do think of Xers, I think of them as a group that just can’t catch a break.
NC-17 before it was NC-17. After the brief flirtation with respectability that was Midnight Cowboy, X-rated movies settled into being the worst kind of porn, the kind that left men with unrealistic ideas about sex, women with body issues, and the world in general a colder and more distant place.
Twitter. People were using phrases like “depressing hellscape” and “dumpster fire” to describe Twitter even before Elon Musk bought it, and by now it’s clear: we didn’t know how good we had it. I still see talented people I like who haven’t given up on the platform, and I’m still making my own discoveries on it, trying to wring a little use out of it before it’s too late. But the day seems to be edging ever closer when I can delete Twitter altogether, and when that happens, I may consider it more a relief than a tragedy.
Tomorrow should be the usual mini-Ubercross, and after that…I’ve got a few ideas, we’ll see what strikes my fancy!
GREAT LIST:
X--foir Tic-Tac-Toe
Glad you didn't cite X for Elon Musk's Twitter.
X -- a mark I saw frequently on my math tests
X--(My official signature)