Day 118 - X is for Lazy

X: The 24th letter of the alphabet

Does it bother anyone but me, that people type, "thx" versus thank you in either an instant message chat, or a text? I figure if I've done something that garners a thank you, that you should at least put the effort into typing out the 6 letter word of "thanks", or better yet, "thank you". When I see "thx", I can't help but interpret it as you're too lazy to thank me properly. I'm sure no one actually thinx they are being insincere when they type those three little letters, but well, I do. It's impersonal.

To add insult to injury I can't stand the decapitation of the Christmas holiday to "X-mas". I don't call your day of birth an X-day, and we don't celebrate the X-ster bunny, and we don't eat turkey on X-giving, so why does Christmas get shortened to "X-mas"? Again, I feel you take any sincerity, personalization or real meaning out of the holiday by truncating it to a one letter name. But again, that's just my opinion.

Along with Christmas, I randomly see the name Christine and Christina shortened to X-stine, or X-stina. Really? I wonder if X-topher Columbus Day should be re-named, I'm sure he wouldn't mind? Also, I ponder if Winnie the Pooh will ever stop asking X-topher Robbins for honey - give it up already Pooh-Bear! (Sounds pretty silly, huh?)

Another x-ample of the depersonalization of X is sports. We have walking shoes, tennis shoes, running shoes, and basketball shoes, and then we have X-trainers. What sport is "X"? I've never played X. I wonder if it's anything like baseball? Have you ever had to X-reference something? (I can't stand that either.)

I'm not sure how one lonely little letter has managed to depersonalize our society, but as for me, I will continue to type out my "nks" ending words, as well as my "Christ" prefixed words, and I'm pretty sure I'll always use the word "cross" in the term cross-train, cross trainer, or cross reference. I mean, if you wouldn't say it out loud, "Hello my dear EX-Stina, I bought you a pair of EX-trainer shoes today" - then why type it? Is it really that hard to type out a few accompanying letters in a word, instead of just the letter X?

Any defenders of the letter X out there? Go ahead, opinions welcome. (Be gentle!)