way too many social and ideological descriptors are thought of almost entirely in terms of belief rather than practice

both obviously matter but I find it strange when people say "a socialist is a person who thinks X" rather than ever "a socialist is a person who does X"

I find semantic arguments very draining, but the attachment people have to belief as a primary defining trait has completely screwed the way we see everything from religion to politics to class

one example of this mindset that isn't tediously "politics brained" is the way we view religion in the West - in order to ask someone's religion you might ask them what they believe in, rather than what place of worship they attend or what rituals they participate in

whereas in places like Japan, many people observe rituals at Shinto shrines and participate in 'religious' ceremonies but don't do so because they "believe"; the same thing was true in Ancient Greece where people undoubtedly *did* stuff but could have been completely irreligious

regarding the British concept of class, people seem to self-define their class based on vibes rather than acknowledge it is rooted in the "practice" of physically lacking money and power; it's more tenuous but still kind of reflects the prioritisation of theory over practice