# I don't get this joke **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2022, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438 "2022-03-21T17:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/1 "2022-03-21T17:20:43Z")
“the shift key is the most useless key on the keyboard. it doesn’t do anything. don’t 2 me” A couple of friends have sent it to me. What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/2 "2022-03-21T17:21:30Z")
Its… SHIFT+2 = @ ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/3 "2022-03-21T17:21:46Z")
The 2 would be an @ sign if they used shift. @ing someone means you tell them they’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/4 "2022-03-21T17:21:56Z")
“don’t at me” is a twitter thing (and now everything else). It’s like saying “I already know, you don’t have to tell me”. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/5 "2022-03-21T17:22:43Z")
I think it’s more like, don’t @ me and tell me why I’m wrong. I only ever see “don’t @ me” when someone writes something controversial. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/6 "2022-03-21T17:25:44Z")
Yeah, but sometimes it’s said after a sarcastic comment that they know some people will take seriously. Short answer is “With respect to what I just said, I’m not concerned about your opinion” Said another way “don’t tag me”. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/7 "2022-03-21T17:26:11Z")
That’s a good point. I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/8 "2022-03-21T17:27:58Z")
Ah, OK. Not familiar with @ing someone. Even so, within the context of the joke, is the author responding to someone who told them to use it? Maybe because they don’t capitalize? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/9 "2022-03-21T17:29:07Z")
Note: not every keyboard has the @ above the 2. Mine has " above it, with the @ above the '. I don’t know why - might be a UK keyboard thing. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/10 "2022-03-21T17:29:42Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Ah, OK. Not familiar with @ing someone. @Lucas_Jackson ← That’s @ing. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/11 "2022-03-21T17:30:21Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Even so, within the context of the joke, is the author responding to someone who told them to use it? Maybe because they don’t capitalize? No, the joke was that you can’t (on most [physical] keyboards) @ someone without the shift key. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/12 "2022-03-21T17:30:56Z")
It’s totally a U.K. thing. I know this because I once had a computer from Costco which for some unknown reason had U.K keyboard mapping on an American-labeled keyboard. You’d actually type the @ symbol key, but get a quote mark. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/13 "2022-03-21T17:33:00Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > “the shift key is the most useless key on the keyboard. it doesn’t do anything. don’t 2 me” Also note the lack of capitalization throughout. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/14 "2022-03-21T17:33:30Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > sometimes it’s said after a sarcastic comment that they know some people will take seriously. Maybe its just my twitter feed, but saying “don’t @ me” at the end of a tweet (meaning I’m not interested in discussing this online, so don’t tag me about it), seemed to go straight from not being thing, to being used only ironically after a bad joke, without ever being used seriously. I’ve only ever seen it used after a particularly corny joke or surreal parody. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/15 "2022-03-21T17:45:23Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Maybe its just my twitter feed, but saying “don’t @ me” at the end of a tweet (meaning I’m not interested in discussing this online, so don’t tag me about it) So if I’m understanding it… The author is stating his opinion - the shift key is worthless - and he isn’t interested in discussing it further. Except the meaning is lost because he doesn’t use the shift key (to denote the @ symbol). Is that about it? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/16 "2022-03-21T17:46:12Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > It’s totally a U.K. thing. Also, the original Apple ][ keyboard had the " over the 2. /useless knowledge ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/17 "2022-03-21T17:47:04Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > The author is stating his opinion - the shift key if worthless - and he isn’t interested in discussing it further. Except the meaning is lost because he doesn’t use the shift key (to denote the @ symbol). Is that about it? Yes, the joke is he shows that the shift key is useful (for getting the @ symbol for example) in his post saying there is no use for the shift key. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/18 "2022-03-21T18:54:33Z")
IMHO, if you have to think this much about a joke it’s not funny. @Lucas_Jackson ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/19 "2022-03-21T19:16:32Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > It’s totally a U.K. thing. I dunno. The Commodore 64 I access the web with has a quote above the 2 as well, and its own, separate @ key. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/20 "2022-03-21T19:37:31Z")
Huh. Well at any rate, my strange computer had a standard American physical keyboard with the @ above the 2. But that’s not what you got when you pressed that key with the Shift. If I recall, using the quote key (directly to the left of Enter) got you the @ sign. There were other subtle indications the PC had a British operating system involved, such as some spellings. I drew the conclusion that a British-manufactured keyboard would have matched the mapping, but perhaps mis-labeling the keys is just meant to be part of the fun for people of all nations, who knows. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438.md?page=2)