Why do people label things that scare them or they don't understand; "communist" or "socialist"?

[yulbsari]

[loveslongnails]

When ignorant of a concept, many people will fear and dismiss it rather than investigate or learn about it, and that's where the "why" comes in. If you learn new information, you may have to re-evaluate, re-think, re-access, and alter the patterns you are accustomed to, or think you know. That process frightens most people, and those in power who manipulate others know this well.

Case in point, if you grow up in the USA, terms like "Socialism, Marxism, & Communism" are demonized from the time you're a child until you are firmly convinced that the only viable system is Capitalism. You start hearing " Socialism is bad, Communists are the enemies", when you're too young to have a clue what the adults are talking about. Then people carry that into adulthood and like say, they still have NO clue what they mean.

Right now, the USA is the POSTER child for Capitalism run amok and out of control at the hands of greed mongers whose only motivation is profit. Even as this causes tremendous suffering for most citizens, some far worse than for others, people won't critically analyze what's happening to them, or why.

[DryGermanGuy]

Americans have been constantly manipulated to vote against their own interest. Using silly buzzwords, that even drunken yokels can parrot at the watering holes, is part of that.

[Alex-Snow]

They are trying to scare people and appease the MAGA base

[Anonymous]

To convince other people it’s bad. Those are loaded words.

[blackeagle007]

Propaganda crap. Most common way to battle each other