"Millennial anti-theft device' objectively debunked

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

I am as well and find it obnoxious. But then again people seem to refuse to live and let live and must be shiny happy people at every opportunity

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

...pretty sure those actors are boomers...

Let me preface this by saying that I think all of these generational stereotypes are stupid.

That said, if we're going to play the game, it depends on which definition you go with for the end point of the baby boom.  I've seen people argue for anything from 1960 to 1965.  Per Wikipedia, Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald were born in 1968, which is gen X by any definition.  Judd Nelson was 1959, which is baby boom.  Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy were born in 1962, so it's going to depend.

Regardless, many people associate the "defining moments" as being the stuff that was popular when they were teens, and usually this means that the pop stars who feature in those moments are ~ 10 years older than those teens, just because it's hard to be that kind of star when you're still in high school.  Look at The Beatles, for example -- they're peak boomer material, right?  Well, the youngest was George Harrison, born in 1943.

Racebrick said:

Kind of hard to buy a new car with a manual transmission when nobody makes one.  Not really my fault as a buyer. 

Yes, but surely you see the chicken-and-egg situation in play here. If more folks bought manuals.....

Racebrick said:

Kind of hard to buy a new car with a manual transmission when nobody makes one.  Not really my fault as a buyer. 

For you old guys, just because someone says "boomer" doesn't mean they are insulting you.

I mean, I just did. I can point you to a good salesman if you'd like. 

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Racebrick said:

Kind of hard to buy a new car with a manual transmission when nobody makes one.  Not really my fault as a buyer. 

Yes, but surely you see the chicken-and-egg situation in play here. If more folks bought manuals.....

I bought a new manual Dodge 2500 in 2010, so I did my part :) Last time I bought it in to service, the service manager commented on the fact that it had three pedals.

Wasn't an option on the EV for some reason.

As an elder millennial (1981 vintage), I hate that saying.

Boomers have more money. That makes sense... they are older, and have had more time to make it. 
 

Boomers have more mobility issues.  That makes sense... they are older, stuff happens when you are older. 
 

People with mobility issues want automatics, and older people want cushier rides (which often means bigger, which usually means auto trans)

So, the takeaway is that older people reach a point where they no longer feel like shifting, and can buy whatever the heck they want?

THERE'S a shock. Nothing to see here...

90BuickCentury said:

A more interesting stat would be what percentage of car thieves can drive a manual and another interesting stat would be what percentage of car thieves would be deterred from stealing a car that has a manual. Professional car thieves that target high dollar cars like Lambos, Ferrari, Porsche, etc are probably more likely to drive stick than amateur car thieves or pros that target regular cars. Even so, the fact that 44% of Millenials cannot drive a manual, should translate into a lesser chance of car theft. Additionally, most non-sporty manual cars are worth less for resale than the same model automatic cars, which should also translate into a lower risk.

 

That is like the groups of thieves that target 88-00 Hondas, chances are they know how to drive a manual and know what they are targeting, and this is regardless of age as I've seen a wide range of thieves, from the late genx'er to millennials who steal them 

My Dad was part of the Greatest Generation.  They all drove autos when they got older too (and many of them knew how to drive a car with a crank start)

bobzilla said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

My wife loves to drive a manual but physical limitations keep her in an automatic for her daily. So it's still somewhat a true slogan. 72% CAN drive a manual, only 16% WANT to compared to 44% CAN'T drive one and this is what bothers me, 38% don't want to. 

So, if only 54% can drive a manual, then how can 62% want another? The math just isn't adding up here unless this is yet another pathetic attempt to make "boomers" look stupid. IF thats the case then nevermind. Make up whatever you want to feel better about yourself. 

Are you by chance a fan of Tom Lehrer's Song "New Math"?  
 

We may be getting too far into the weeds on this. The assumptions behind the "Millennial anti-theft device" joke are that:
 

- Most millennials don't know how to drive a stick while most boomers do (Reality: Not a huge difference in prevalence of manual shifting skills, a majority of both generations can, just a fairly small advantage to the boomers)

- Boomers dig stick shifts, while millennials are mostly just ignorant of them (Reality: 5 out of 6 boomers are not interested in driving or owning manuals vs. a majority of millennials who are).

Would an H-pattern car practically be more likely to thwart a would-be car thief due to their probable demographics? Quite likely, but that's not the joke. The joke isn't that manuals are safer from car theft, it's that millennials see H-patterns as an obscure ancient technology while boomers appreciate them, which according to the survey data is extremely wrong.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

The survey doesn't say whether "boomers" appreciate manuals or not. That's an assumption you are making from the data. The data only states that more know how to drive, but less want to. That want to can be from a plethora of reasons related to their advanced age. But I guess that doesn't make fun of boomers well enough. Gotta make sure we put down boomers. 

Millenials haven't been "kids these days" for about a decade. I'm pretty sure they're more likely to tell people to get off their lawn than they are to be the ones getting told.

bobzilla said:

Racebrick said:

Kind of hard to buy a new car with a manual transmission when nobody makes one.  Not really my fault as a buyer. 

For you old guys, just because someone says "boomer" doesn't mean they are insulting you.

I mean, I just did. I can point you to a good salesman if you'd like. 

I would prefer to buy from a bad salesman.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

It's a joke. Clearly started as a joke. Too many don't know what jokes are anymore, and proceed to upset themselves with the inability to recognize satire. Harumph.

Wait til they get to Gen Z.

You all should read more.  This nonsense is as old as humanity.

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

Said by Socrates.  

Really, most of you should read more.  History doesn't exactly repeat, but it sure does rhyme a lot.  I can't wait to hear Gen Z start whining about their predecessors and successors.  

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:

 

 I can't wait to hear Gen Z start whining about their predecessors and successors.  

If the internet and social media are to be believed, they're already seasoned veterans with whining about their predecessors. Real life interactions have left me with the impression that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are largely very polite and hardworking, though one did make fun of my golf shirt the other day which I thought was ballsy of a kid wearing wearing crocs. 

bobzilla said:

So it is just another lame attempt to make fun of a class of people you don't like. Got it. Seems to be more and more common in here. 

Well, it is debunking a lame attempt yada yada.

Most millennials I know can drive manual trans and prefer them even when it is ill advised.  (Who TH actually wants a manual trans 1 ton truck?)  

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Racebrick said:

Kind of hard to buy a new car with a manual transmission when nobody makes one.  Not really my fault as a buyer. 

Yes, but surely you see the chicken-and-egg situation in play here. If more folks bought manuals.....

Dealerships would not buy them for stock, because they had less markup, and might not order one because they might get stuck with it. 

Can't buy what you can't get.

In the 70s, anything with a manual was defined as a sports car by some insurance carriers, too.  Even a Malibu with a three on the tree.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

(Who TH actually wants a manual trans 1 ton truck?)  

My current unicorn of desire is a gmt400 k3500 with a 6.5 diesel and a five speed. 

gearheadmb said:

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

(Who TH actually wants a manual trans 1 ton truck?)  

My current unicorn of desire is a gmt400 k3500 with a 6.5 diesel and a five speed. 

I've driven that.  Granted, it is very good at trucking.  But I keep thinking how much better it would be if it could go from 0 to 35 in under a week without having to work hard for it.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

Dad bought one new in 93 (but his was 2wd). The NV4500 trans was very good, the 6.5 had all the power a normal person would need, and it averaged 20 mpg no matter how we used it.