"Socialism"

 Many times on Facebook, I've pointed out that the right-wing noise machine uses the word "socialism" as an epithet, not as description of an economic system. Glad to see Kevin Drum is on board with this, too:

"This is a good example of the way that the right-wing media machine keeps its audience scared witless. To these folks, “socialism” is freighted with connotations: Democrats want to tax your money away. They want to give your money to Black people. They want to crush Christianity. They want government bureaucrats to control every aspect of your life. They want schools to teach your kids that gay sex is good and patriotism is bad.
None of this is aimed at liberals or even moderates. Hell, you have to listen to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and the others regularly to even understand all these connotations. But make no mistake: “socialist” is just shorthand for high taxes, hatred of white people, zealous secularism, and indoctrination of our kids. It’s a great fear tactic, but only if you understand the audience it’s aimed at." https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2021/01/socialist-is-a-great-fear-tactic/?fbclid=IwAR3P5b0j3cEInn80ziyrAWstUqRQmMJfqeYT8lXdRLJJ_o-2K814uURRMSk

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