But is it bloodier than "The Spanish Inquisition!"?
Was it Mao who said that power comes at the end of a gun? The commies would know, they've murdered so many people for a system that doesn't work worth a damn to produce much of anything except more human misery.
Why is socialism still so popular? It's got to be the biggest PR campaign and myth making in history
Socialism is popular because it appeals to and makes excuses for the lowest instincts in humans - laziness, mediocrity, and victimhood. It is sold as the 'answer to the plight of the disadvantaged, the down trodden, etc.'. What wise people find out though is that 'answer' comes at a cost of your freedom, economy, and opportunity.
Because it feeds in perfectly with the world view of a set of individuals who see themselves as enlightened --- "smarter, wiser and far more moral" and that the world would be prefect if only they were in charge. In their view, there is no need from messy things like Democracy or consensus.
That is why in the West, you most often find the far left not in factories or middle class soundings, but among those born to wealth who believe that they are better than others while at the same time feeling guilty for their good fortune causing them to curse the source of their wealth.
because people will always have strong dislike for those that have more than them.
because a high percentage of people will always prefer to vote for the government to take things away from others(redistribution).
because one candidate will always leverage the angle that he or she can get them free stuff, more efficiently.
because power corrupts.
because redistribution by government is recommended by great thinkers on every campus in the USA and by barbara streisand.
It plays upon the powerful emotion of jealousy. It is a perversion of the noble attributes of sharing and caring for others which shackles these to the whims of an elite minority.
The demand of Socialism is "everyone must be equal, or it's just not fair!" Where Capitalism tries to provide equality of opportunity for success, which success depends upon the skills and efforts of the individual, Socialism claims to guarantee an equality of success regardless of the skills and efforts of the individual.
Socialism promises everyone an 'A' for the class, even if they haven't learned anything. It denies the intrinsic value of individual improvement, achievement and innovation by rendering them taboo.