I've always found of the X-Card to be a tacit admission that those people most invested in calling for one don't see the other people at the table as people worth talking to, nor do they see them as people who have responsibilities for themselves.

I run an explicitly unsafe space. I like to make that free and clear to everyone at the table when they sit down. Things you don't like will probably happen. Things that disturb you will probably happen. That you feel disturbed is no reason to stop the game. That you feel "triggered" is no reason to stop the game. That being on the table, you are going to be sitting with some people among which can be an asshole.

If everyone's playing and having a good time and then out comes, "the eight hairy legs of the hideous giant spider creep over the edge of the long forgotten well, it's sparkling, beady eyes full of ravening hunger and its hideous pedipalps clash noisily, breaking the silence," and just last week you'd fallen into a nest of brown recluses and really would rather not be reminded – then it's incumbent on you to say "dudes, I am really not down for the spiders today. Last week's nest full filled my quota. I'm just going to step out until the end of the scene, have a bite of pizza, and someone come get me when the stomping is done." And then get up and do that.

Now, if you explicitly told people that you were about to run an old-school dungeon crawl and they didn't expect spiders to pop up along the way – that's on them. They should know better. It's incumbent on them to look after their own interests.

The real problem with the X-Card as a construct is threefold.

Firstly, it puts the burden for dealing with the situation on everyone but the person whom that situation falls on. Everyone else suffers. Everyone else is expected to suffer. Everyone else is expected to suffer cheerfully. The responsibility falls on everyone else at the table.

Secondly, it explicitly maintains that explanation is not really necessary. It creates a blind behind which any motivation suffices. That's a terrible situation to put forth.

Thirdly, it infantilizes everyone at the table. It makes the assumption that they are not strong enough adults, not self caring enough, and utterly not socially adept sufficiently to be exposed to a thing, make a face, and say "dude, what the fuck?"

The assumption that negotiation is not possible and thus needs a tool like the crowbar to open up the gaps for it is the part that I find most personally insulting as a gamer. It makes me wonder about how these people have been communicating about their games – effectively forever.

But since most of these individuals seem to have an issue with personal responsibility and personal accountability in the first place, pushing an individual's problems out on all those around them and leaving them with no responsibility, I suppose I shouldn't see much of anything that gives me surprise.