# I don't get this joke

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438>\
**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:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/21 "2022-03-21T19:39:21Z")

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> [@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?

> [@Cheesesteak](#):
>
> Also note the lack of capitalization throughout.

> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#):
>
> Except the meaning is lost because he doesn’t use the shift key (to denote the @ symbol). Is that about it?

> [@griffin1977](#):
>
> 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.

I think part of the joke is that the guy is also outing himself as not knowing how the shift key works. Like, he’s hitting the key, trying to type a capital letter or @ sign, but because he’s not holding it while he hits the second keystroke, he’s convinced it doesn’t actually do anything.

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**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, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/22 "2022-03-21T19:52:02Z")

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> [@Briny\_Deep](#):
>
> 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.

It was probably just something in the keyboard layout section of the OS that was set to UK for some reason. I don’t know how old your computer was or what options the OS had, but I know I’ve changed keyboard layouts for European keyboards back in the early 00s to an American layout when I lived abroad somewhere in system preferences.

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**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, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-joke/961438/23 "2022-03-21T20:22:08Z")

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> [@Si\_Amigo](#):
>
> IMHO, if you have to think this much about a joke it’s not funny. @Lucas_Jackson

Ah, I see what you did there! 2Si\_Amigo

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