I have used a variety of languages, including C++. I really liked the OO nature of C++, and was thrilled to see VB.NET show up and bring OO to VB. However, C++ is bad for reasons other than just all those silly semi-colons. The operators in C/C++ can make a complex bit fiddling operation look like line noise. That may actually be the reason that C# is so popular. After all, in nearly every specialized industry, jargon rules. That isn't because there is a natural need for specialized words, there is also a pack mentality. If you can't speak the language, you can't join the club. I suspect that some of the allure of the C-style syntax has to do with wanting to have the appearance of knowledge so that your work has an appearance of value beyond its actual worth (though the worth itself can be high).

My other thought is that the C-style languages were created by the SPHPT (the Society for the Perpetuation of Hunt and Peck Typists). If you have ever taken a typing course, you have been taught to keep your fingers on the home row. The F and J keys have bumps on them so that you can check that your fingers are on the right keys. The fastests keys to hit are those under your most dexterous fingers, with those in the row above being second (and then there is the reasoning behind the QWERTY keyboard layout, but that's another rant). Moving up two rows to the number keys is much harder for most normal typists, as you generally can't reach them without moving your hands (you can't reach by extending your fingers alone). Using the upper register of those keys is even more miserable, yet C-style syntax relies very heavily on upper register, top row, keys, and even more miserable keys like {, }, |, ! and ?, to which I can say @#$^%*!!!

C-Style syntax is simply slow. If you are spending considerable amounts of time thinking about what to write, the fact that the typing is slow may make little difference. However, that doesn't usually happen, in which case the C-style syntax could hardly be designed worse for people who are capable of typing with all their fingers.