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I don’t disagree in general with what you wrote. On the bogeyman of “socialism” I do blame the electorate. The irrational fear of anything remotely related to “socialism” in America has been going on far too long.

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And that fear is stoked from the top down. You hear it all the time from the leadership of a certain political party. It's not just something that people fear naturally, it's driven home explicitly by the political messaging of those that benefit the most from our current system.

Yes, I know this. However, in this age of easy information and knowledge about other societies readily available it becomes more a matter of willful ignorance than being duped by propaganda.

You aren't familiar with the propaganda if you think folks duped by it would consider "other societies" with anything other than fear hatred and contempt. The problem with "do your own research" is confirmation bias.

What is the alternative? Counter-propaganda, my propaganda is better than your propaganda because mine is "right"?

I don't have a good answer to this question, I'm wondering if others do.

If I knew, I'd already be president? The only thing that seems to actually work is slow, one on one, patiently and empathetically working with people where they are. Mass media only seems to be effective at sowing division.

Maybe things were different under the Fairness Doctrine? I don't know.

Counter-propaganda isn't the answer. We've already got counter-propaganda, from the other political party. It's not persuading anybody who doesn't already drink that flavor of Kool-Aid.

No, I don't have an answer either. I just know that counter-propaganda isn't it.

Well, as I said, in my opinion people can be blamed given the readily available information and in regard to the multi-decade irrational fear of socialism. Willful ignorance is a thing.

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