What I'm not - OK?

I'll tell you what I'm not:  I'm not part of any atheist community.  A community based on a conclusion seems a bit silly to me when what matters is how you think about the world, not that you have a certain view.  I have friends who are Christians and Muslims and who believe in rationality.  I disagree with their conclusions, but I truly love their support for rationality.  I'm not part of any skeptical community.  This may be more laziness than anything else, but also because, in Britain, 'skeptic' does come across rather like 'cynic'.  I support what many skeptics do, but I also know of some skeptics who aren't skeptical much at all.

What I am, I hope, is a science and philosopher amateur, where 'amateur' means 'lover'.  I'm madly in love with science, and have been since I was a small child.  I have grown to love philosophy after an introduction from a friend, Michael, many years ago.  Philosophy and I go on dates.  Occasionally one or other of us storm off in a sulk, but we always make up, and I admire his awesome beauty.

I'm also a feminist because I believe that society has a long way to go before women are treated with equal value and respect, and I'm also an individualist, because anyone who talks about groups of people as if that grouping has any value is an utter plonker.  Heck, we can't even say 'Nazis are all..'.  Remember that Oskar Schindler, the rescuer of so many Jews, was a member of the Nazi  party.

Anyway, it's not just atheism/skepticism that has major falling outs - as any programmer can tell you, Java and C developers can't be left in a room together; As any science fiction fan can tell you, the legacy/new Doctor Who battles are fierce; any comedian can tell you about the great Miranda wars of 2012.

I have privileges that I have not earned - I have an ability to think and understand, and I want to share that privilege by writing, if I can.  I'll have to do better at ignoring vicious people, and I apologise for my occasional lack of ability.