What does academia have to do with tech comm anyway?

I've been thinking about your post from last week, Lee. How can theoretical pieces have any effect on the technical writer in the workplace? After some thought I came up with the conclusion: what DOESN'T it have to do with technical writing? It may sounds like I'm beating a dead horse here, but we as technical writers have to take almost everything into consideration. Our practice can have a multitude of impacts on society. Perhaps they aren't the biggest impacts, but they still add up. We influence the lines of communication within society, keep the information flowing in an understandable way. The theories that many in academia study--ethics, humanis, feminism, etc--are what shapes society. These theories impact us in that they can shape how we will keep the lines of communication open. By understanding a new set of societal ethics for example, we can make our writing more relevant to the readers. The same can be said for feminism; a new surge in the movement could mean that we must adapt. To me, it all seems connected. We all live together and have to be aware of each others thoughts and opinions.