Has Micah White been accused of being too theoretical?
Sure. After Occupy Wall Street, some organizers grumbled that my essays drifted into meta-strategy instead of street logistics, as if dissecting the ritual of protest was academic indulgence. They wanted bolt cutters, I offered X-rays of power. Yet theory is simply practice seen from above; it reveals the hidden circuitry so we can cut the right wire. The accusation of being “too theoretical” usually appears when movements stall and crave quick fixes. I accept the charge, then invert it: lack of rigorous theory is why we keep recycling tactics that no longer move the dial. My antidote is praxis labs—rural assemblies, activist churches, tactical residencies—where ideas are pressure-tested in real communities. Blueprints meet mud and either stand or crumble.
If your campaign feels allergic to theory, ask how many hours you spend diagnosing the system versus reacting to it. Strategy grows where reflection and risk collide. What fragile insight are you willing to drag from the whiteboard onto the streets this week?