What is the reason for Socialism being such a dirty dirty word in America?

[Pat Mustard]

Seems there are some aspects of it when applied properly would work. But maybe I'm just a clueless "Libtard". Oh and my favorite, a clueless Libtard that's been brainwashed. Just because someone advocates for some socialism doesn't make them anti-American. Hell, I read Forbes on occasion.

I think it was becasue Americans as a people never really learned the lesson of the downtrodden "if we don't hang together, we'll be hanged seperately".

There are a number of contributing factors, the most important of which I think are the make up of initial settlers, who were laregly individualistsescaping European conformist regimes ditching collegiality along the way*, and second the huge hinterland that opened up after Independence, giving a section of the population the temporary chance to prosper without needing much in the way of outside help.

*The trade union movement is essentially an adaption of the guild system framework to scialist or social democratic ideals for example. There was never much of a guild collegiality in the 13 colonies. In fact a lot of settlers were fleeing the iniquities of the guild system.