It's All About Control

They make automatics better nowadays than they used to.  We used to call them "slush boxes" back in the 60s because there was a slight delay between stepping on the gas and the car actually moving.  You could have them adjusted, but that often resulted in the opposite effect, you had to keep your foot on the brake when stopped at a light to keep the car from creeping forward.  With a stick shift, the motive power is cut off as long as you hold the clutch peddle down, although it's not good for the clutch to hold it down for more than a minute or so, it's best to shift the transmission into neutral when you're stopped for longer than that.  When you let the clutch peddle out, you have to feed just the right amount of gas at the same time or the engine might stall or the wheels might spin a bit.  It's a little tricky when you're first learning to drive, but it becomes second nature once you get used to it.  

We had automatics on the school buses that I used to drive, which is how I know that they're making them better now, but I wouldn't own one nevertheless.  I suppose one could get used to anything, but driving a stick shift still makes me feel like I'm more in control.  It may be just a perception thing, but I like it, so I want to keep it.

I think they want to take away my stick shift for the same reason they want to take away my guns and my red meat, to break my spirit.  Even if it's only a perception thing, they don't want me to even feel that I'm in control.  Truth be known, comes the revolution, Old Betsy wouldn't stand a chance against the military weapons of today, but they don't even want me to cherish the illusion that it might.  Although there are some herbivores that can become just as aggressive as some carnivores, the general perception is that herbivores are more docile and submissive than carnivores, and that's the self image that they want me to have.  They would like to take away all our motor vehicles and make us ride mass transit, but then they would have a revolution on their hands, and they're not ready for that yet.