Critical Mass goers are are just people who want to see the roads made safer and more encouraging to cyclists. Bristish roads fall way behind the rest of Western Europe in this regard. If this makes them “weirdos” then i am most definately a weirdo. I hope you are too! There’s no shame in going against the mainstream flow and making people think a little beyond the status quo.
Whether the CM rides really help in this regard is a worthwile discussion. I’ve been on many in the past but I dont go anymore because I tend to think they just antagonise drivers and they are a bit of a throwback to the 1990s. They also encourage drivers to go into road rage mode which is pretty scary and not exactly constructive.
On the plus side, they are really friendly, can be a lot of fun and i’ve also seen some really positive reactions from drivers and pedestrians.