To me, it's perplexing that people still think "radical" or "extremist" is a very cutting insult. The terms are neither positive or negative in and of themselves; it all depends on what they're being used to modify. For example, there are "radical humanitarians" and "radical sadists"; though both groups can be described as "radical" in some way or another, they have little in common beyond being among the most passionate proponents of their respective worldviews. Even "radical extremist" is essentially useless as any kind of meaningful dismissal of somebody's ideas, because it's just the same concept repeated twice, as if throwing a few more syllables in there adds any weight to their argument
That's why, when somebody calls me a "radical" or an "extremist" without elaborating further, I find it hard to get mad, and tend to just laugh it off. Oh really...I believe in... something.... too much for your taste? How awful!!!
