Abraham Flexner Quotes
We must not overlook the role that extremists play. They are the gadflies that keep society from being too complacent.
"Extremists" as Flexner used the term were intellectual and philosophical extremists--at that time intellectual communists, fascists, atheists, libertarians, anarchists. In the 21st century, "extremists" tended to connote violence and terrorism. There were violent revolutionary communists, fascists and anarchists, but there were very few. Must were intellectual and philosophical advocates of the theories.
Abraham Flexner, 1866-1959, Educator and Author, Universities, 1930
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The leaders and their members were organizing Civil Rights protests and demonstrations in keys Southern communities. The Southern segregationists commonly referred to the protesters with these three terms. Hoover hated the Civil Rights organizations and many of their leaders and would not allow FBI agents to assure the safety of the demonstrators when they were beaten and brutalized by the Southern law enforcement officers and KKK members—often one and the same as Hoover knew ({637608}). He used the same terms describing the demonstrators as the Southerners did reflecting his biases and sympathies.
Abraham Flexner was an American educator, best known for his role in the 20th century reform of medical and higher education in the United States and Canada.
