Why I hate “theory groups”

[David McKerracher]

I decided to open up this thread with the intention of adding screenshots as examples + some of my reflections over time. The point is not to callout anyone (I’m scratching out names) but to instead point out these kinds of PMC theory group tendencies that drive me crazy. A lot of it is just based in self-doubt and fear, i.e. imposter syndrome, but I don’t mean to only be critical. I hope to inspire and normalize something for Theory Underground: That we should aspire to be more like language-learning communities than existing theory circles.

Language-learning communities

I just keep thinking about how much more friendly and helpful language learning communities are than theory groups. Some of you have no doubt heard me bring this up on stream before. For now, I’ll just share the attached screenshot and my reflection on it:

Try to imagine someone qualifying something educational they found useful in a language learning group with, “This work is not perfect.” What work is perfect?!

I have to wonder, does this person ever qualify anything they share with, “This is perfect”? Do they feel the need to add that to the end of everything?

In language-learning groups there is never an expectation of perfection. Nobody ever thinks this! Everyone learning languages is always outside of their comfort zone, so everyone helps everyone. Why is it different with theory?

This person’s vague disavowal gets them off the hook of having to clarify what they even mean: Was it because Mikey has some of the basic kinds of errors one has when it hasn’t been carefully edited and proof-read (i.e. “over-produced,”) OR was it because there is an actual theoretical error? Doesn’t matter, that’s not the point. I have to suspect that this person just wants to pre-empt criticism for sharing something that they found incredibly useful – though they do not admit to having found any use in it.

Mikey’s post (the one shared) on The Phallus was a short book Mikey made available for free. It took him decades to get to the point where he could write something that makes concepts this difficult so accessible and relatable with so many examples and quotes from so many sources. But instead of getting some honest praise, the basic “hey this might be useful to someone who is new” gets quilted by its final sentence of disavowal.

You would never see this in a community where people care more about education for its own sake more than social posturing, social capital, and the fear of making mistakes sometimes. Language learning communities have it figured out, and theory, as a kind of language, has a lot it could learn from them.

Discussion

[Abdalla Hakeem]

This is always the case whenever I use social media and I wonder if that’s just a postmodern relativist way of sharing anything these days?

[Author]

Replies