Why is everyone so afraid of "socialism"?

Traditionally, we have been a capitalist country. We have been a country where we believe that everyone has a right to their own property, and the right to own their own business, etc. Pure socialism is defined by the idea the that government owns and controls the means to make wealth. In a country where we believe that everyone should have a fair shake, it is a scary thing (for most of us). However, socialism has been used as an excuse to avoid some type of government programs (ex. food stamps). These things are parts of socialism, but do not herald a "pure socialist state" with red flags and military salutes, but it has been used to scare people into believing certain things.

[By the way, communist is a form of government, not an economic form like socialism. In the same way, capitalism is the economic system, and democracy is the system of government. socialism is the opposite of capitalism, communism of democracy.]

The US is not a "purely capitalist" society, and China is not a "purely communist" one. They both have implemented various aspects of the other to form their economic systems.

I hope this helps...