I'm an educator in that I'm a Community and Labor organizer, and I do in fact teach workshops on labor organizing. I frequently find myself in political discussions surrounding the work I do.

Since well before graduating college, I was somewhat dismissive of Theory (feminist, political, queer, et al) as being detached from the reality of life lived. It's frequently inaccessible, using language that only other academics can read, and not reflective of (and in fact frequently dismissive of) so many lived experiences. And wordy - especially anarchist and communist theory. Just say what you want the proles to hear, already, so we can have discussion without having to learn a whole new vocabulary.

And yet, clearly there's something attractive about Theory to many folks - some of whom I even respect and admire. I've mostly pushed it out of my mind - "Praxis is my Theory", I've said on more than one occasion.

So today, pulling into a parking space after lunch, listening to a little bell hooks, I felt seen and even called out as I heard,

"Within feminist circles, many women have responded to hegemonic feminist theory that does not speak clearly to us by trashing theory, and as a consequence, further promoting the false dichotomy between theory and practice. Hence, they collude with those whom they would oppose. By internalizing the false assumption that theory is not a social practice, they promote the formation within feminist circles of a potentially oppressive hierarchy where all concrete action is viewed as more important than any theory written or spoken."

I rewound the book (I'm listening to it on Audible, and I love being able to do that!) and paid closer attention to the preceding paragraph:

"As feminist activists we might ask ourselves of what use is feminist theory that assaults the fragile psyches of women struggling to throw off patriarchy's oppressive yoke. We might ask ourselves, of what use is feminist theory that literally beats them down, leaves them stumbling bleary-eyed from classroom settings feeling humiliated, feeling as though they could easily be standing in a living room or bedroom somewhere naked with someone who has seduced them or is going to, who also subjects them to a process of interaction that humiliates, that strips them of their sense of value. Clearly, a feminist theory that can do this may function to legitimize women's studies and feminist scholarship in the eyes of the ruling patriarchy, but it undermines and subverts feminist movements. Perhaps, it is the existence of this most highly visible feminist theory that compels us to talk about the gap between theory and practice. For it is indeed the purpose of such theory to divide, separate, exclude, keep at a distance. And because this theory continues to be used to silence, censor, and devalue various feminist theoretical voices, we cannot simply ignore it. Concurrently, despite its uses as an instrument of domination, it may also contain important ideas, thoughts, visions, that could, if used differently, serve a healing, liberatory function. However, we cannot ignore the dangers it poses to feminist struggle which must be rooted in a theory that informs, shapes, and makes feminist practice possible."

I've got some thinking to do.