Wednesday, October 03, 2007

The Allure of the Manual Transmission

I feel safe commenting on this, because a close friend of mine and I are in consensus, and the theory must hold some water.

There's something essentially attractive about a man who can drive a stick-shift. Perhaps it's "just a stereotype". The message seems to be "I can drive a manual transmission - I can 'handle' my car", perhaps alluding to the message "I can 'handle' my woman" (not in a bad or misogynistic way!). This is the way my friend describes it. I don't think it's a very satisfactory description of this intangible feeling.

It's a very masculine, "I'm in control of my domain" vibe. It's something I find very attractive.

I don't know any female friends who can drive a stick-shift, so I'm not sure what riding with them might be like.

Of course, this quality has zero correlation with the asshole rating of the driver. Ride at your own risk.

No comments: