"It was only that your comment awoke a memory of a time long ago, when I was damned for having the views I have, being called, at that time, 'a dangerous reactionary'."

Sure, I understand!
We just got some wires crossed there LC.
I didn't really mean anything much by it, it was a throwaway phrase describing your online style.

But the same term coming from a Marxist might be meant in a more deliberately negative way. It's all down to your perspective as Smedley said. Same as a right-wing American calling me 'Liberal' might be meant more offensively than it coming from an English person.

I was called "weird" at school.
But now no-body calls me "weird", mainly because I hang around with people that aren't as "boring" as those kids at school were.

Anyway, whatever.. ;-)