Why is 'Socialism' a Dirty Word in America?

This is a potluck event.
Why are so many Americans afflicted with a persistent and severe allergy to the word, ‘Socialism’? Subsidized healthcare and other social welfare programs have been mainstream in much of the Europe and other developed countries. In one study, 28% of Americans believe socialism is dangerous for America. Why is this so?

First the terms: In the present day, "Democratic Socialist" and "Socialist" are often treated as interchangeable terms. Democratic socialists don't necessarily think the government should immediately take control of all aspects of the economy. They do, however, generally believe the government should help provide for people's most basic needs and help all people have an equal chance at achieving success.

In America, socialism is often equated/confused with the communism but these are two different schools of thoughts, though both stem from the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who opposed capitalism’s exploitation of workers by wealthy business owners. Democratic socialists reject most self-described socialist states and Marxism–Leninism. Currently, the best examples of democratic socialist states are the Nordic countries, whose citizens routinely score among the happiest, most prosperous and most equal in the world.

Ideological rivalry that went on between the Soviet Union and America has been decisively won by the West in the 80s but socialism has often been associated with communism in this country and depicted as being contrary to everything the US stands for, in no small part due to the legacy of the Cold War. I grew up in one of the staunchest anti-Communism countries in the world: South Korea. This small country suffered tremendously due to the communist ideology but when it comes to social policies, Koreans do not exhibit the kind of fear and aversion to socialism that I have witnessed here. I have long pondered why the difference in the beliefs and attitudes. After all, America has never been invaded by the communistic forces or directly suffered at the hands of brutal communist regimes. Then where does this visceral hatred of socialism come from?

America was built on a strong individualist tradition, based on the idea that every person is free to control their own destiny. This is linked to the concept of the “American Dream” with its main principles of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The socialist idea that people are responsible for looking after one another and ensuring that no one slips through the net, even if that means a certain level of personal sacrifice. This perhaps is incompatible with ‘American Values.’ Or Capitalist slogans such as ‘Greed is Good’ or ‘Winner takes all’ mentality of modern day capitalism brought us to the state of affairs we have today, with uncontrolled homelessness and a whole host of other economic and social ills.

Compared to the capitalistic practices, to me socialism feels more similar to the Confucius/Eastern sensibility of duty and caring of our family and our fellow beings even if we have to forego some personal benefits or suffer small inconveniences. One simply can’t build a community and a peaceful, kind society without giving of part of oneself. In turn, you get to live in a more equitable, harmonious and sharing society. We saw this difference during Covid in the resistance towards mask-wearing and vaccine. Individualism triumphed over the public good once again!

Clearly, socialism is not in the personal interests of the extremely wealthy because it implies greater redistribution of wealth to those who needs it. American politicians who are themselves often wealthy or dream of becoming wealthy after leaving office, are personally motivated to present an unfavorable view of socialism. In this millieu, a socialist victory seems an improbable dream in America.

Questions:
1. Is Nimbysm which often prevents building of a low-income or homeless housing a part of human nature or an outgrowth of American individualism and capitalistic values?
2. What's the future of neoliberalism which Reagan popularized and helped privatization of many public services such as education, prison system, and mental health services etc.?
3. Will we ever see a robust labor movement in this country?
4. Other countries routinely elect democratic socialists as their national leaders. What's the odds of US electing a left-wing president in our lifetime?
5. What's the link between capitalism and racial inequality?
6. What's your take on the Green New Deal?

This is a potluck event.

Additional readings:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism
https://www.faireconomy.org/the_politics_of_privatization (Highly recommend.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/climate/green-new-deal-questions-answers.html