I'd place it in the hands of habit. We're used to dealing with strange keyboard symbols (like %@*# - and having them mean something). Personally I find that I

I'd place it in the hands of habit. We're used to dealing with strange keyboard symbols (like %@*# - and having them mean something). Personally I find that I use dashes far more than any human should while writing (but like others) I do engage in a bit of parenthetical shenanigans as well.