ID: Drawing of a duck billed platypus underwater, they're wearing a rainbow coloured t shirt and a pink bum-bag, and saying: "Ally is not something you can self-identify as, it's a title that you earn. Let your actions speak for themselves!"
Credit: Sophie Labelle
That's fair.
But this post posits that we do need to get philosophical as does your initial post. By claiming there's "theoretical allyship" we call into question the efficacy of small actions performed by allies and serve to weaken the cause.
Any action is action. No matter how small.