People that drive stick shift are either poor or friends, there's no middle ground.
negative
stickshift allows you to get the feel of a car - the precise torque curve, how fast the car
actually is. you're less likely to go into highway hypnosis if you drive stick. a stickshift car can typically get around traffic faster, as with an automatic car you have to floor it in order for the transmission to shift down, allowing the engine to rev. someone with a stickshift just takes half a second to switch down, then accelerates, rather than wasting gas flooring the pedal to make the stupid transmission shift.
stickshift is also far, far cheaper to replace, and until recently, sticks always got better gas mileage and afaik they also have higher tow capacity.
saying it's for the poor or the economical is asinine.
i had a five on the floor chevy pickup truck. if the thing wasn't a loving death trap, it would have been more fun to drive around town than my ford sedan with a 4-speed + overdrive automatic slushbox.
if i were ever to get a performance car like a miata or a mustang, i'd get it with a manual.
