But also falsely premised. Manual transmissions have been on the decline since 1980, 16 years before the first "millennials" were able to drive, let alone purchase their own vehicles.
I feel that it is an example of "millennial bashing" because it singles out and pokes fun at millennials for their lack of familiarity with a skill that, as you said, they were never taught in the first place. To me, it is a very clear (and, at this point, tiresome) example of "millennial bashing."
Kolo, millennials don't buy manuals because they're largely obsolete and there's no reason to invest (financially or intellectually) in outdated technology.
I learned to drive on a stick, but have purchased hybrid & electric cars with no transmissions whatsoever since 2004. My certified Baby Boomer parents drove only manuals for gas-saving purposes right up until they were offered the better option of hybrids.
There are positive ways to show pride in your niche skills and hobbies, but that Jeep's wheel cover ain't it.
You know what's tiresome? People objecting to humour and claiming victimisation whenever a joke enters their neck of the woods however broad and privileged those woods may be. I think this is about as harmless an example as I can imagine and yet somehow, someone is offended.
Grow thicker skin, because if this bothers you then you're going to go through life thinking it's the world that's making you a very unhappy person. The truth is, it will just be you.
I disagree with this thought process quite vehemently. I've long felt that pushing back against "political correctness" or frequently accusing others of "victimization mentality" signify attitudes that hold our society back from progress. To me, such attitudes seem to say, "I'm going to say what I want, and you can just deal with it. Meanwhile, when someone says, "This doesn't sit well with me," or "I take offense to this," the more mature attitude is to consider why that statement was offensive. A single joke is not the issue here. It is the pervasive attitudes represented by that joke that are the problem, and those pervasive attitudes are, I feel, harmful to society.
Rather than knee-jerk rejecting someone's feelings about a seemingly harmless joke, I feel that it's important to open a dialogue about why the joke is in poor taste. To what end? To help us all understand each other better.
If one of my older friends made a joke like this, I'd have to wonder what other unfair judgements they were holding against me.
I have elderly relatives who insist on continuing to use terms like "colored" and "Oriental" and see nothing wrong with it. These words do not exist in a vacuum, but rather carry a long history of racism and attitudes that were seriously harmful to individuals and our entire society alike. These discussions are how we get better.
I'm not screaming out in offense and victimhood, so please don't distort my reaction to suit your needs. I'm opening a discourse. If that offends you, then maybe you are the one who needs to grow a thicker skin.
my daughter, born in 1990- a millennial. I taught her to drive w/ std transmission 1989 4wd mazda pickup at 15- dirt road seasonal use "highways" first using the 4wd low range. By then, we had ordered an 06 Mini Cooper w/standard transmission built for us and took delivery in late summer. she took her road test in that car. passed on the first go. did any of you millennial bashers demonstrate your manual shift skills to the DMV road test evaluator at 16? She now shifts better, more smoothly than I do and could surely take off just fine with this theft deterred Jeep.
our last pre DMV training was to head to v.steep residential neighborhood and have her parallel park between 2 cars on the downhill slope. This is probably the trickiest maneuver to do with a standard transmission. From a stop. backing up while turning - uphill into a limited space. Cheater "hill hold" x-mission features wont save you here. Useful San Francisco & Ithaca life skills.
I don't have any issue poking reasonable fun at my generation. We laugh at films that depict us as being on our phones constantly, at going wild for meaningless trendy home decor, at the odd ways we go about dating, at how we communicate better via text than phone. Those are just realities, and my generation created them and owns them.
I take issue with the example above because, like so many other genuinely problematic jokes, it blames my generation for a pseudo-problem for which we aren't even responsible.
Separately, while it's great to be proud of a skill, turning driving a stick shift into a strange point of pride to lord over others feels odd and cringey to me. But to each his own.
The decline in manual transmission is in part due to fuel efficiency mandates from the EPA and tech advances. Automatic transmissions today exceed manuals. That being said, I offer you this anecdote that underscores the subtle humor intended. https://www.wkrn.com/news/teens-charged-after-manual-transmission-thwarts-nashville-carjacking/1343847459/
There is a bigger question here: In an increasingly automated world aren't we losing a lot? Haven't we always lost a lot with every "advance" while what's lost is ignored? Jared Diamond makes the argument that we who live in a technological world are dumbed-down people as compared with the Highlanders of New Guinea. I don't feel offended. It's true.
Another milennial-bashing joke. Cute.
ReplyDeleteBut also falsely premised. Manual transmissions have been on the decline since 1980, 16 years before the first "millennials" were able to drive, let alone purchase their own vehicles.
https://www.cars.com/articles/why-manual-transmissions-are-dying-and-whatll-end-them-for-good-424059/
I feel that it is an example of "millennial bashing" because it singles out and pokes fun at millennials for their lack of familiarity with a skill that, as you said, they were never taught in the first place. To me, it is a very clear (and, at this point, tiresome) example of "millennial bashing."
DeleteKolo, millennials don't buy manuals because they're largely obsolete and there's no reason to invest (financially or intellectually) in outdated technology.
DeleteI learned to drive on a stick, but have purchased hybrid & electric cars with no transmissions whatsoever since 2004. My certified Baby Boomer parents drove only manuals for gas-saving purposes right up until they were offered the better option of hybrids.
There are positive ways to show pride in your niche skills and hobbies, but that Jeep's wheel cover ain't it.
You know what's tiresome? People objecting to humour and claiming victimisation whenever a joke enters their neck of the woods however broad and privileged those woods may be. I think this is about as harmless an example as I can imagine and yet somehow, someone is offended.
DeleteGrow thicker skin, because if this bothers you then you're going to go through life thinking it's the world that's making you a very unhappy person. The truth is, it will just be you.
I disagree with this thought process quite vehemently. I've long felt that pushing back against "political correctness" or frequently accusing others of "victimization mentality" signify attitudes that hold our society back from progress. To me, such attitudes seem to say, "I'm going to say what I want, and you can just deal with it. Meanwhile, when someone says, "This doesn't sit well with me," or "I take offense to this," the more mature attitude is to consider why that statement was offensive. A single joke is not the issue here. It is the pervasive attitudes represented by that joke that are the problem, and those pervasive attitudes are, I feel, harmful to society.
DeleteRather than knee-jerk rejecting someone's feelings about a seemingly harmless joke, I feel that it's important to open a dialogue about why the joke is in poor taste. To what end? To help us all understand each other better.
If one of my older friends made a joke like this, I'd have to wonder what other unfair judgements they were holding against me.
I have elderly relatives who insist on continuing to use terms like "colored" and "Oriental" and see nothing wrong with it. These words do not exist
in a vacuum, but rather carry a long history of racism and attitudes that were seriously harmful to individuals and our entire society alike. These discussions are how we get better.
I'm not screaming out in offense and victimhood, so please don't distort my reaction to suit your needs. I'm opening a discourse. If that offends you, then maybe you are the one who needs to grow a thicker skin.
I'm not even a Millennial. I just think this type of humor is lowbrow and lazy. It's "my kid beat up your honor student."
Deletemost electric motor vehicles have only one gear.
ReplyDeleteThat Jeep is definitely not rocking a six speed. Also, Millennial here. I own six cars, and only one with an automatic.
ReplyDeleteIt's not? I have a manual Wrangler. Same model, by the looks of it. I can assure you it does rock a six speed.
Deletemy daughter, born in 1990- a millennial. I taught her to drive w/ std transmission 1989 4wd mazda pickup at 15- dirt road seasonal use "highways" first using the 4wd low range. By then, we had ordered an 06 Mini Cooper w/standard transmission built for us and took delivery in late summer. she took her road test in that car. passed on the first go. did any of you millennial bashers demonstrate your manual shift skills to the DMV road test evaluator at 16? She now shifts better, more smoothly than I do and could surely take off just fine with this theft deterred Jeep.
ReplyDeleteour last pre DMV training was to head to v.steep residential neighborhood and have her parallel park between 2 cars on the downhill slope. This is probably the trickiest maneuver to do with a standard transmission. From a stop. backing up while turning - uphill into a limited space. Cheater "hill hold" x-mission features wont save you here. Useful San Francisco & Ithaca life skills.
DeleteI don't have any issue poking reasonable fun at my generation. We laugh at films that depict us as being on our phones constantly, at going wild for meaningless trendy home decor, at the odd ways we go about dating, at how we communicate better via text than phone. Those are just realities, and my generation created them and owns them.
ReplyDeleteI take issue with the example above because, like so many other genuinely problematic jokes, it blames my generation for a pseudo-problem for which we aren't even responsible.
Separately, while it's great to be proud of a skill, turning driving a stick shift into a strange point of pride to lord over others feels odd and cringey to me. But to each his own.
It also means you can never ever valet your vehicle.
ReplyDeleteAs the 21st century, I'm deeply offended by the updated version.
ReplyDeleteMad... I would guesstimate that around 99% of cars in UK are manual transmission, perhaps even in Europe, of which we're no longer a member of :(
ReplyDeleteThe decline in manual transmission is in part due to fuel efficiency mandates from the EPA and tech advances. Automatic transmissions today exceed manuals. That being said, I offer you this anecdote that underscores the subtle humor intended.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.wkrn.com/news/teens-charged-after-manual-transmission-thwarts-nashville-carjacking/1343847459/
There is a bigger question here: In an increasingly automated world aren't we losing a lot? Haven't we always lost a lot with every "advance" while what's lost is ignored? Jared Diamond makes the argument that we who live in a technological world are dumbed-down people as compared with the Highlanders of New Guinea. I don't feel offended. It's true.
ReplyDelete