By now there have been at least 2 generations that have been taught by these communists, who have effectively hidden the evils of their system. This does not bode well for the future.
The problem is that socialism and communism seem like good ideas if you're ignorant of the actual meanings of their platitudes, combined with the belief that everything they do is terrific.
Capitalism is hard. It requires thought and work. Why would someone with no work ethic or willingness to learn on their own ever want to be a part of the capitalist system. Especially when you start talking about "fairness." After all, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" sounds like an idyllic lifestyle. At least until one realizes that the true meaning of that statement is, "from each according to his ability to serve the State, to each according to his need, in service of the State." They one begins to realize that this is actually slavery.
The next time you hear someone say that socialism is a great theory, but hasn't been put into practice properly (yet), tell them that it has... If they want to see a perfected socialist/communist society, simply take a look at an ant colony or a bee hive. Then ask them if that's really the way they want to live as a human being.
Mark