Why do Americans see socialism in such negative light?

[firefox28]

After so many economic crises--the collapse of the Bretton Woods System, the 1980s recession, the Latin American crisis, the East Asian crisis and now the present economic slump--why do Americans still cling on to the idea that capitalism is the best state and socialism is an evil? Do they still read and dream abvout Francis Fukuyama's The end of History when reality has shown otherwise? Socialism has not destroyed European nations nor has it fostered as many economic crisis as unfettered capitalism.

[QC]

1. More than a century of relentless right wing propaganda.

It goes back to the first stirrings of the labor movement in this country, and the Cold War era was especially intense. Generations of Americans have been indoctrinated with the belief that there is no class system in this country--we are all middle-class and anyone who says otherwise hates America.

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. That's exactly right

A full answer would require analysis of the early railroad strikes and coal strikes, to the national response of leaders like Eugene Debs and the foundation of groups like the American Federation of Labor. But yours is concise and accurate. :hi:

[QC]

11. Thanks! n/t

[tech3149]

7. Bingo!!

It's also referred to as perception management. You can thank Dr. Freud and his nephew for playing mind games on us since before WW1.

[navarth]

13. I was under the impression that Dr. Freud didn't approve of Bernays' actions.

But I have limited wisdom on that one. I only know what I've seen and heard in "The Century of Self", which made Bernays a nominee for life imprisonment in my book.

[FormerDittoHead]

18. Not just the class propaganda. Don't forget the religious angle. Communists will abolish religion!

Before they were banning Elvis, burning Beatle records, the religious right's biggest boogey man was Communism.

.

[LynnTheDem]

21. Bingo!

Anything GOOD for the little people = BAD for the wealthy elite.

That's why the House of LORDS is the RIGHT WING of parliament.

[redqueen]

32. Precisely. (nt)

[tekisui]

2. Xenophobia.

[MikeNearMcChord]

3. Because the false meme Socialism=Communism has been

beaten into our heads for so long. Ignorance of other nations whether by accident or deliberation, also helps. I mean hell I lived in West Germany back in the 80's, and yes they were socialist,but it was way different from the communist run East Germany, the mines and guard dogs were on the other side. Sorry for the simple version, but I wouldn't mind if America was a little bit like Germany.

[MercutioATC]

4. They see it as a limiting force in the "land of opportunity".

And, depending on how it manifests itself, they could be right.

We all live with a degree of "socialism"...but, taken to an extreme, it would run counter to the ideas upon which this country was founded.

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. Of course, taken to an extreme, so does capitalism. nt

[msongs]

19. ideas like slavery and no rights for women. nice nt

[MercutioATC]

23. What??

I'm simply pointing out that the free market/socialism thing is on a slider...taking it too far either way is problematic.

[Love Bug]

5. Because most Americans have been raised to believe

Socialism = Communism and the demise of our capitalistic system. Not to mention, once that happens we will all be expected to abandon Christianity and be "Godless Communists." That's the message that has been pounded into the brains of everyone since 1918.

The people of the old Soviet Union were so demonized that why else would Sting need to tell us "the Russians love their children, too"?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

12. and that meme has REALLY taken root

so much so that most people don't even understand that a lot of the public services that we all enjoy ARE socialized/government-run even though they are not generally thought of as such. And, frankly, I think we should be thankful that we do have at least SOME "socialized" public services left because I couldn't even imagine having to pay for services such as police and fire protection. It's astounding that we don't treat health/medical care the same way- after all, health/medical care is about saving and preserving life too- although I've always half-joked that if some innovative corporation could figure out a way to "own" the air we breathe they'd buy it, can it, and sell it back to us at an inflated price- all for a quick (and very handsome) profit. To some people for whom "privatization" is the solution to everything, there is not much out there that, at least theoretically, can't somehow be bought, controlled, sold, etc. for a quick buck. Depressingly, the thought of whether or not privatizing everything under the sun would be a good idea rarely- if ever- seems to get any consideration by our "leaders" before they sell everything off. The only thing that business does best is business and IMHO they should NEVER be placed in charge of owning or operating public services and goods that people NEED in order to survive.

[santamargarita]

8. Right-wing branding and the fascist main stream media

:argh:

[Peacetrain]

9. We are already in many ways a socialist state, Social Security, Medicare ,

Public schools, public roads..etc.. but I am sure the average person will equate socialism with communism.. it was not UCSR we were locked in that cold war with, but the USSR, and that is how they view it, rightly or wrongly.

Words matter

[YOY]

10. Probably because they don't actually know what it is.

And secondly have a habit of calling smart capitalism socialism and reaganomics/free-market capitalism the only real capitalism.

Basically. They're idiots.

[lib2DaBone]

14. Republicans and the Right-Wing media are now demonizing the word 'Socialism'

..just like they did with the word 'liberal'.

Rush and Hannity and Ann Coulture will hammer it to death( endlessly) until the other barking dogs of the MSM (like David Gregory) pick up the usage as the accepted form.

[OHdem10]

15. The Cold War from the Forties onward was a move against Communism.

Anti-Communism was the push.

The GOP very conveniently wrapped Communism and Socialism
in the same package when they decided to destroy Liberalism.

Socialism=Communism=Liberalism.

In order for Conservatism to take hold Liberalism had to
be destroyed. The first line of attack is words.
Make Liberalism a bad word. Then you can more easily
destroy it tenets.

[salguine]

16. Because they've been told to, and it hurts them to think.

[jschurchin]

20. People fear what they

don't understand. We have had socialist polices in the U.S. for a long time now i.e. Medicare, however the majority of Americans equate socialism with communism, so maybe you can understand the trepidation.

[CrispyQ]

22. The Commons are a sort of socialism.

The resources of our land, held in common - our water, air, land, airwaves, roads, schools, hospitals. How easy it was to convince a nation of people who fear socialism, that industry can do it better & cheaper & therefore, we should privatize our Commons.

As for why Americans fear socialism, I think it's a combo of propaganda by the elite (the corporate class) & intellectual laziness of the middle class. As we've gotten more affluent, we've gotten lazy. We don't' reflect or discuss ideas like socialism vs capitalism. We watch Survivor. We want things summed up for us in sound-bites. We don't want to think. And as our economy tanks, we will have even less discretionary time to reflect on what got us into this mess.

K&R

[Romulox]

24. "Socialism" in America has always meant money taken from the poor and given to the rich

What is the AIG bailout, if not "socialism"?

[applegrove]

25. The world let the USA fight communism for 70 years. Propaganda followed.

Americans are more afraid of socialism than anyone else. Even though it has many socialist programs.

[anonymous171]

27. To be fair Authoritarian Communism was pretty bad. nt

[applegrove]

28. It was a nightmare. I'm glad it is over. Let's just hope Cuba opens up

some day soon. I know they have some private enterprise there but they could open up their economy to American tourism, end communism there and still keep their great health care system. I think everyone except the castro family would be happy then.

[firefox28]

29. Communism was never planned in theory

Marx never planned out what the state should be like beyond the fall of capitalism. What he (and other Marxists afterwards) was the embedded failures of capitalism.

[applegrove]

30. I never read marx.

[anonymous171]

26. Because Socialists don't get any airtime. Also they need to stop trying to Europeanize America

and start Americanizing Socialism. America is a different nation, and so will require a different type of socialist government.

[Vidar]

31. A century of false flag, anti-red propaganda sponsored by the rich & corrupt.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

33. Because people have been trained to think Stalin instead of Mitterrand when the word is uttered. nt