Am I the only one who has stirred their starter with a metal spoon?

I think the prohibition against metal is meant to protect the metal, not the SD. SD can be acidic enough to pit metal surfaces--I think there are stories about 49ers polishing metal with their starter. But using a metal spoon to stir your starter should not harm the starter and it's unlikely that a young starter can have enough acid to harm your metal. I use my metal spoons all the time on my month old starter baby with no problems except that flour and water glop feeding sticks to the spoon and turns to cement if I don't wash every trace away immediately (but "ripe" starter doesn't stick). Relax! Remember that "hobby baking" is supposed to be fun ;o)