I've been here on DU since 2011 officially, but I lurked for a few years before that. I'm a radical.

[mathematic]

67. On the flip side, actual radicals exist and if somebody says they're one, believe them.

Putting a higher priority on standard liberal positions on the environment doesn't make somebody a radical. Just as putting a higher priority on standard liberal positions on social welfare doesn't make you a leftist. I'm not entirely sure why some people try to claim that they're radical or leftist when they're not. Maybe they like the superficial aesthetics of radicalism.

I've known radical environmentalists. Ecofacists, to be exact. One was an old roommate that came from a dedication to traditional fascism and tacked on environmentalist positions as an expression of ideal (european) civilization. The other was an environmentalist that was disillusioned with liberal democracy and slowly came to believe that only a fascist state could protect the environment. Needless to say, neither should be within 100 yards of a policymaking body.

So when people say their politics are abhorrent and then demand a seat at the table, I'm inclined to oppose that without getting into whether they're accurately characterizing their political beliefs or not.