It's not a masculinity thing, it's a feeling thing. The only thing I can try and liken it too is that some drivers like the open top car feel. Whilst the car may feel like a just set jelly by comparison to a tin top they still love the experience.
What I can't ever seem to get across to DSG advocates is its plain and simple, I just like it. I'm a massive tech fan in all other areas of my life, latest games consoles, house is fully airport expressed for sound systems, smart phone enabled alarm & cctv systems, car is fully loaded with tech, YET I have DSG and I don't really think it offers a competent driver the same involvement of process for a spirited drive. Pressing a small electronic switch is no real challenge and it's quite insulated from the satisfying clunk of gears connecting. If you've come from a sh1tty manual gearbox with changes like stirring porridge then I can understand it, but if you've ever driven a well engineered fast changing short shift manual in a high powered car there is something quite rewarding about banging in good gear changes and getting it right (the challenge is mental and physical).
And it's not about 'faster', I fully accept I will be slower BUT I'll happily take that for what I get in return. A professional driver will be much closer to DSG speed than a joe average like me, but what DSG style gearboxes afforded motorsport was increased speed with reliability. Even today the gearboxes are Achilles heel on the cars, back in the pre-1990s when cars were manual the drivers used to blister their palms to blood at Monaco, so comparing Motorsport gearboxes to a road going car is quite a stretch. Every 0.1 of a second in Motorsport makes a massive difference so it makes no sense in paying sport to be stirring your own cogs if it adds risk and burns energy/concentration.
I don't think DSG fans will ever understand, so at this point I'll get my coat and give up. I've never suggested you should like manual more, all I've ever tried to do is enlighten as to why I still like manual.