I'm only considered extreme when spoken to by actual extremists, it's funny how that works?
I'm pretty much independent in the way I think, I guess you could call me a healthy, left leaning socialist, that's probably a bit simplified but in the ballpark, I believe in taking what works, and discarding what does not, labeling aside.
I have been called a traitor because of this, it's not very fun to take society seriously enough to wanting to fine-tune it without allowing it to become a ridiculous, self sabotaging echo chamber with thought police destroying independence and freedom.
I have however been around extremists and it was a very scary experience back when I was dependent on their mercy for survival, I was constantly walking on eggshells and afraid of getting assaulted or worse. There was one time I had one person ball up his fists at me because I was simply explaining different types of socialism to a friend over discord because he was writing a report on it for school, then he actually interjected himself into my private conversation with very biased factoids, it was so uncomfortable and I had to sit there with a poker face to not let him know how scared I was to not let him think he "won" by making me shut up, then adviced him to read a couple of history books, he caressed his gun over that.
I watched my roommate seriously get bullied for not having voted for what their dad told them to. It broke my heart, I would of course appreciate that my children agrees with me politically, but being independent thinkers is also something I would be proud of, you know?
The whole prison-esque gang mentality of "us & them" actually bothers me a lot, it shouldn't be a thing, we should all be getting along but it's as if the top of the pyramid just wants to distract, scare, divide and control.
Sorry I'm rambling, and this being a bit political in nature, I'm not looking for a fight please, I don't have the energy.