He grew up on a farm in Iowa but he can't operate a stick shift?

I grew up on a farm in a very rural area. I know a lot of people that grew up on farms and can't drive a stick shift.

I thought that was really odd too, I thought all rural people would know stuff like that but I am not American (where I read Automatics are verry popular) nor a farmer.

He definitely grew up on a farm as he says but he doesn't say his dad is farmer, his grandpa is, but then what does his dad do and...forgetaboutit.

I wondered about that as well. I grew up in rural PA near Pittsburgh. We had 2 tractors -- one was a 1928; the other a 1932. We knew about clutches. You can drive farm equipment legally at a pretty young age (it might be age 14 by now, but we were driving at age 12).

Growing up on a farm isn't the same as growing up to be a farmer. He mentioned he wanted to study something other than agriculture enough to fight with his grandfather about it, which suggests he wasn't interested in it, which in turn suggests he wouldn't be interested in learning anything more about it than any other kid. His chances of knowing how to drive a stick shift wouldn't be any higher than the average person's.

Is this where I say SPOILER ALERT?

In end he stays.

Bet he learns very quickly to drive a stick.

:~)

People should go for their license on a manual transmission, then you should be able to drive both in an emergency. It's really America that is so predominantly automatic. Europe has as many manuals as America has autos, Australia is about even. I drive a 6 speed manual, it's far safer as you pay attention to what the car is doing and you can control your speed in traffic far more easily and precisely. Fewer manual drivers have rear end crashes, an interesting statistic.

I grew on a farm in Iowa. I do not know how to drive a stick shift.

I didn't farm. I didn't stick around to learn the "family" trade -- much like Matt Damon's character -- and there's never been any reason for me to know how to drive a stick shift.

My dad drove the tractors and pickup when I was a kid and then when I got a car it was an automatic.

As someone who has literally lived this scenario...it seems pretty logical to me.

It's a statement about society in general. Typically, farmers, farmers' families, those who grew up on a farm, etc, have to work for a living. They're usually hard workers, from sunup to sundown kind of people. There's so much work to do on a farm and if everyone doesn't help it doesn't get done. They don't have time for video games, itunes, and sitting around on websites like this one debating about what life is really like for other people.

People who grow up in the city, on the other hand, usually have it a lot easier. If their mom isn't working three jobs to pay for their xbox, and cellphone bills then they're probably on welfare and using their EBT cards to pay for such things.
(And that's not a racial statement. The one person I'm closes to that fits that description is white - fat & white)

The point being, if you have a lot of work to do, and you can't sit around waiting for someone else to do it for you, then you get off your ass and do it. If that involves learning to drive a stick shift because that's the only type of vehicle your family can afford then that's what you do.