Why are Americans so scared of communism when they do not even know much about it?

Because it is anti-American?

Because we believe in freedom and liberty?

Because the fact that communists hate us is all the proof we need that communism isn't good for us?

What I know about communism is that it does not work. The goal of communism is to create a classless society where everyone prospers equally. While this is good in theory, it simply isn't feasible in the real world. People aren't equal. There are smart people and dumb ones. There are strong people and weak ones. There are hard working people and there are lazy ones. Smarter and better people should be allowed to maximize their potential and live better than dumb lazy people. And people should earn a salary comparable to the type of work they do. Should a doctor earn the same as a janitor after spending 12 years in college and handling peoples' health on a daily basis? Of course not. Competition, along with supply and demand is the catalyst of economic strength in a capitalist system. Another tenet of communism is abolishion of personal property. Communists don't consider property a commodity to be bought and sold. Everything becomes public property. Property ownership is the key to appreciating value, because the owners have a vested interest in the upkeep of that property. Without that, nobody is accountable for maintaining anything, and properties fall apart and become worthless. The USSR is a perfect model of full blown communism at work.

Just because some do not know what the basic principles are they can still have seen the effects of communism.... people only need to look at Cuba, the former USSR, China and North Korea to know that communism is not the best type of government to live under.... Communism may look great on paper, but in practice it's nearly barbaric... :/

And I don't know about you, but I remember the visions of what happened when Soviet Communism collapsed and the Berlin wall was torn down... my parents even have a piece of the wall... and I am not even 30 yet...

Since you don't know that socialism (which is what Obama advocates) is not communism I'll try and explain the difference in layman's terms.

Communism- You have two cows. The government takes both of them and gives you a little milk occasionally.

Socialism- You have two cows. The government takes one of them and gives it to someone else. You get nothing in return.

Capitalism- Which I advocate by the way. You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your cow produces offspring and you develop a herd that provides you with meat and dairy products.

Now you tell me why you think either of the first two systems is better for large groups of people. Both socialism and communism work for small groups. But both systems require complete agreement on the part of ALL participants, otherwise the whole thing ceases to be.

Why are Americans so scared of communism when they do not even know much about it?

I think 50 years of the Cold War tells us all we need to know about Communism and the "fact" that the Communist murdered and enslaved 100 million people.

Wow... I couldn't have said it any better. I hope that attitudes like yours will be more frequent from now on, because in all fairness ~ The United Stated needs a bit of proper education.

*edit*

First of all: communism never killed those people in the old USSR and China. Corrupt leaders killed them... or had them killed. Communism never created those corrupt leaders, greed created them. So instead of blaming communism for all those death, perhaps it might be better to point the finger at the real culprits: those who carried out the order to have those people killed. Not the regime that they carried out. Corruption is everywhere, not just in communist regimes.

Socialism isn't the same as communism. First of all, several economies have shown that socialism works on a general level. The Chinese government that now still runs on communist values, doesn't show that communism doesn't work (in fact, with their booming economy we could even say that communism *does* work, but...) but it only shows... as do all the other economies over the entire world... that no matter which kind of government there is in your country, it *always* goes at the cost of something!

Such, alas, is life... as they say: nothing is perfect. Not even liberalism.

Now, a lot of American citizens with all respect, seem to think that their current government is the right one. If you look at the current economical state of the US and those who complain about the government, it's fairly obvious that somewhere, someone has been left out of the equasion. In a capitalist state, it is generally the poor people who are left out. In a communist state, it is the people's freedom. In a socialist state, it is the rich folk. In a liberal state (and no, the US is a capitalist state, not a liberal state), it is those who work hardest.

Even in a democracy which holds more than one of the above, there will always be winners and losers.

So; American citizens... don't be scared of communism. It's pointless. Being scared of another sort of governing is only another way to keep your attention away from the flaws in your own state's form of governing.

And Obama is by no means a communist. He sounds like a liberal socialist. And in all fairness, that isn't a bad thing. I live in Belgium, and Belgium has been running on a liberal socialist government for at least 80 years. And even though our state's in debt (social welfare and health, education and public transport cost a bit), it is less than our tax income and people here are generally wealthy; there is hardly a lower class here anymore. Certainly no lower lower class or middle lower class, the only sub-class left is upper lower class. Everyone gets equal chances and guess what... we still have our freedom!

Ok Dude you need to pick up a book and read for you to even think about communism not being an atrocity just shows your ignorance to the whole subject the fact of the matter is COMMUNISM KILLS !

I guess I look at history and communist countries that have failed. Also look to those who have lived in communist countries and want freedom - they didn't think communism was that great of a thing. Communism does not work and is against everything that our country was founded on. Freedom does not equal Communism.

Ever heard of Stalin? 300 million russian citizens murdered under his regime. Or how about Pol Pot of Cambodia after the liberals took us out of Vietnam, 7 million Cambodians murdered by this wonderful communist butcher. Or lets look at some of today's regimes like in Burma where the communist regime is systematically murdering hundreds of thousands of her own people or Communist China who has over 20 million people interned in political prisons and concentration camps using them as "slave labor". Would you like me to carry on, to date communism is responsible for over 800 million civilian related deaths and murders world-wide since its hideous inception.

Because Americans value Freedom.

I don't have a problem with a few socialist elements in our mixed economy.

But I don't think we're ready to go around extolling the virtues of Communism just yet.

I think too many right-wingers are eager to express their McCarthyism on these forums for you to get a serious answer when you mention the C-word or the S-word...