One problem will admit I have with promoting my own ideas is lack of a clear community group identification with any particular area.
Like I have what I claim to be important mathematical ideas but am not a mathematician. And at best have an undergraduate degree in physics, but am not even then considered fully to be a physicist, and besides the physics community doesn't argue out mathematics, usually.
Switch to politics, and I don't really go for pushing some kind of racial thing, tending to mostly avoid race politics, and insist that race doesn't really matter. And I like to note science can't even really define it, so it's mostly a vague notion. So no, not like that would make me a draw for the Black community in the US I don't think. Especially since I think at best race and ethnicity are irrelevant, and instead we need only focus on avenues of opportunity for people to pursue their interests and dreams.
Even when it comes to computer science, nope, no degree there either. Took some courses as a kid, but none as an adult. Even though yeah, took a community course in college at age of 12 on BASIC programming language which some people actually think is cool? But only other course was summer I turned 16 at Duke University as part of their TIP program where learned structured C. Nonetheless worked as a software developer for a couple of years and have still my own app for software developers I call Class Viewer.
But reality am not an obsessive coder, and haven't worked as one in any paying capacity for over a decade. Not that I couldn't probably do it, but it just doesn't appeal to me. So nope, not really a member of the coding community either.
And I could go on. Talk photography or even something I clearly demonstrably enjoy doing much, which is writing. Not any strong community identifications there either. I like to blog, and tweet and other things but not like I really hang with other writers. But then again writers can often be more of the solitary type. While I do like hanging out in bars. But not with other writers. Not that I'd avoid them. But wouldn't exactly seek them out either.
My story to me is a lot about how you can get into a weird kind of limbo when not strongly identifying with any particular racial, ethnic, technical or intellectual community.
If were a mathematician, could hammer at acceptance of my mathematical ideas maybe with allies from within that community. If were a professional coder might just go ahead and have my own software company, and maybe create the next social network. Or could go on with other areas.
Just having so much fun just with the being human thing. Trying different things. Enjoying the wealth of information available, and often kind of shrugging at the idea of getting in deep in some typical way.
Is interesting to me though how much difference it could make if my inclinations were different while in the big picture over time it won't matter much at all. The best ideas really don't need that kind of help. They excite and inspire people who eventually do that community thing. There's no rush.
It's cool.
James Harris
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