Learned vs. Lived Experience


People’s opinions are either informed by lived experiences or learned ones, and we sometimes bicker over which holds more weight in terms of the validity of opinions. 

Those who are well versed in literature often disregard the lived experiences of the subjects of their study unless it is as research material for their studies. And those who’ve done the time, sometimes feel that opinions formed from outside the of the ring hold little weight because everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. 

This divide, like most things, is usually between the haves and the have not’s. Middle and upper-class people often sit behind high walls, in air-conditioned homes and lead the discourse on poor people and the effects of poverty on the social dynamics in townships. They, without any true knowledge of what it is like down in the trenches, get a platform to speak on behalf of those they don’t know and they do so with a confidence that is symptomatic of couch quarterbacks and keyboard warriors. 

Then there are those who have done the time and carried the load. They respond to things with the hostility they are subjected to daily. They don’t say the right things at the right time, nor have the luxury to structure their message for the audience; they speak from their experience, which is often a place of pain. 

There needs to be reconciliation between these two experiences because neither is whole without the other. A lived experience is clearly not enough on its own without the accompanying literature to help you understand, define, and interpret that experience. Yes, you have been subjected to racism and you know how it felt, but reading a few books to accompany your experience will open your eyes and give you a 20/20 vision of the subject. You will be able to identify what was wrong with those "odd" high school rules that made you uncomfortable but you couldn't articulate. Yes, you have been subjected to sexism your whole life, but a bit of reading on the matter would help you articulate why certain rules that you had to follow but your male siblings didn't upset you. You will be able to identify how being made responsible for the majority of the household chores while having other siblings (who happened to be male) was not just a bout of favoritism, but patriarchal grooming for your "inevitable" role as someone's wife and unpaid domestic worker. 

People are not a monolith and relying on personal experiences only to guide you is nowhere near enough. 

The shortcomings of a lived experience being the sole basis for one's “activism” is perfectly illustrated in older women. The internalised misogyny of older women who have been betrayed time and time again by patriarchy and its proponents, to the point where their lives are textbook feminism is a wonder to see. They will warn their daughters about the dangers of trusting and relying on men, and then turn around and shame them for drinking and/or smoking because "who wants to marry a smoker/drinker". The presence of these two things that you would think to be contrary to each other is indicative of the psychological damage of systemic oppression that comes at you from every aspect of life, be it cultural, religious, political, or economic. So without active learning and unlearning, they are still not able to liberate themselves from the omnipresent clutches of patriarchy. 

The accessibility of academic writings to the masses is of the utmost importance. Discourse on micro aggressions whether racial, sexist, or otherwise are no longer things to be discussed in humanities lectures and certain internet communities only. The theory must be accessible where the people are, it must be in a language that they understand, and it must be explained using examples of their lived experiences. It is the responsibility of academia to reach the masses.

Read articles, listen to podcasts, and watch informational YouTube videos. Write blogs that are short, and succinct, and use language that everyone can understand. Make podcasts that are recorded on cell phones and make poorly edited YouTube videos. If one person reads your blog, listens to your podcast, or watches your video, that is a job well done. Knowledge is a tool and it is a tool most powerful in the hands of the masses. 

Hurricanes start as just a breeze and tsunamis a wave, so spark your little flame and it could one day, burn it all to the ground and usher in a brighter tomorrow. 





Location: Cape Town, South Africa

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