As many others have said, who really cares if an automatic is a couple of tenths quicker over a distance? Do those tenths actually make it a more enjoyable drive? Can you even notice them from the driver's seat? What you can notice is how much more boring the automatic makes the drive. I can only imagine those drivers who don't like to actually have to work a clutch pedal and gearshift will be overjoyed when they can buy a car that automatically takes care of those other boring tasks like turning and braking. "Look, my car is two seconds quicker over that three mile course and I don't have to do anything - just sit here in the seat! Isn't technology wonderful?" A properly executed heel and toe downshift is rewarding. Having the car do the work for you is boring.
This is such an interesting line of thought for this reason: it defines one of the "there are two kinds of people" situations. If you think this way, then your beliefs make sense. If you believe the opposite, then they are ridiculous. Driving is not entertainment to me. It is not a sport. It is not a competition. Performing the activity provides neither satisfaction nor a sense of accomplishment, no matter how well it is done. I am not bored by automatic shifting, but neither am I entertained by a stick shift. I understand how this differs from you. I know that there is nothing that makes you a better driver than me, just because you like to drive stick. I also know we will never agree, because there is nothing real in this debate. No advantages, no disadvantages no matter how many statistics are quoted. It is all just two different attitudes. That is what makes the world go 'round.
Your comment about "properly executed heel and toe downshift" though is very eye-opening to me, because there is one area where I am guilty of the same line of thought you have expressed. Having grown up in an old city, New Orleans, I am a master of parallel parking. I recognize the similarity between how I congratulate myself for a good parking job and what you said about shifting. Yes, actually I recognize how silly I have been. I don't have a car that automatically parks itself at present, but likely will within a few years. Seeing how foolish it is to care about such mundane and easily learned skills, I am determined to use and enjoy the automatic parking feature when I get it. Always moving forward, never backward!