Originally Posted by
PityOnU
What is the reason that standard transmissions have become so strongly associated with masculinity? Were automatics originally marketed targeting women or something (who were clearly too incompetent to learn how to shift)?
Question: How do you know if someone drives stick?
Answer: They'll tell you.
Lol, no hate or anything (do what makes you happy!), but Goddamn just mentioning standard transmissions causes dudes to suddenly appear out of the woodwork and instinctively gather around, readying themselves for the mandatory circle jerk.
Manual transmissions are literally comparatively rare things these days, now only accounting for like 3-5% of car sales in the USA, and I think that number literally dropped 50% in the past year alone.
Stick shift brings out the stupid side of masculinity because driving is stereotypically associated with being a big man with all sorts of big skills, all about being big and driving a stick somehow also fits irrationally with being big and strong, and the general dominant type of personality type.
Anyway that's pretty much it why if you think about it. Lots of people here had stick shifts, was more common in the old days, same with my old ex girlfriend had a stick and she started driving at age fourteen I believe. To me stick shift is more novelty and joy of machinery than anything.
Anyway Dirk had a manual Accord and Fummins drove a manual Dodge, so maybe this being car forum these things come up. Anyway just a few thoughts, I guess I like my apparent self described "driving prowess," because I have 75,000 hours on big trucks and heavy equipment, so I guess I happen to inflate my own stupid attitude about thinking I'm a Driving King or something, but I have to have eyes on the back of my head all the time, driving a backwards steering vehicle, as well as all sorts of new stuff that's crazy I won't even get into.
Anyways cheers happy spring, I had some major tree work done at my house earlier.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)