Stupid lazy uneducated youngsters who still retain the "I know everything" paradigm...

I think that the real issues go much deeper, than any of these things. I believe there is big money funding these breakdowns of western cultural values, that set us upon each other. It is a long game that is being played and all it takes to win is, throwing money at the greedy and incompetents, in positions of social power, to bring us all down. To the victor goes the spoils. Socialism is the precursor to the eventual downfall of every society it has ever touched. If we cannot pull back from the brink, only hell lays ahead. What we Americans do have going for us, that no other countries have, is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These are what we need to trust in and defend to the end. And for all the never Trumpers, this battle would have already been over if he hadn't decided to run.

Those in favour of socialism are always arrogant enough to think that previous attempts were done by people who didn't do it properly. If they were in charge it would be different this time! Somehow they know much better than Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot etc.

They don't seem to get that it's not the jockey - it's the horse!

I haven't read it yet but think this pretty new book could answer your question.

Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies by Kristian Niemietz

Socialism has been an a failure throughout history. I believe some 40 countries have tried the socialist path. It has always ended badly. The young ones today believe that their brand of Socialism is better than in the past and a more robust political system.

In one word education. They took over higher education and that is where all the teachers come from. So they turned our colleges into indoctrination centers which in turn turned our High - Middle - Elementary schools into indoctrination centers. So the children spend a majority of their early years learning about how the United states is the worst place in the world. And socialism is the answer to all mans ills because they have never been taught the true evils of socialism

But as a wise man once said

A republic is a horrible way to govern. But it is the best one we got so far!!

It becomes more attractive the more we use the word. News cycle after news cycle after news cycle after news cycle.... it just gets worn in. Like a shoe...on the door.

Free Stuff. You put it eloquently and at its base root

It's a combination of things. Biased education and media, labeling Capitalist based economies with strong social policies as "Socialist", promises of free stuff, the idea that it will lead to equality of outcome, rhetoric and propaganda against pretty much everyone that leans right is some sort of facist, the notion that success achieved in a Captalist economy is only due to either priviledge and/or Corruption.

Socialism is popular mostly with the young and with the intelligentsia whose idealism drives towards a utopia. None of them actually feel any pity or kinship with the struggling working class, only disdain and resentment toward the rich. They feel that everyone who has nothing was dispossessed in order for the rich to be rich. Generally speaking the people who had nothing, always had nothing, therefore, cannot be dispossessed. The people who are rich may not have always been rich but through hard work, good fortune or inheritance from someone who worked hard (or was the beneficiary of good fortune) became rich. Dispossessing the rich does not fix the poor, only makes more people poor. Most people who have endured real struggle are grateful for an opportunity to WORK for a better future. These people do not want charity nor do they want to steal from anyone.

Feminism and the media (including social media) the two main contributers to this, in my view.

Is the move to socialism as strong as the MSM says it is?

Or are the Libertarians and Conservatives just not screeming as loud?

It's the guy who whispers a threat in my ear that really scares me

There's takers and then there's earners, the big question is who will prevail?

Its because the youth are being constantly bombarded throughout their education with ideas that everything is a fix in capitalism and that all the wealth has been claimed by oppressive measures and that its basically stolen money so it should be shared between everyone. They think the worlds made up of two types of people the oppressors and the victims and its just ludicrous. Socialism has never and will never bring anything but the breakdown of civil society and its very core values go against the competitive nature of mankind. These lunatics who call for socialism are clueless! They would be lying in a ditch starving to death right now if it weren't for the wonder that is consumer capitalism.

One factor is the past election of Obama and the hold-overs from his appointments, and devious policies instituted by him and his DOJ and his judicial appts. The gradual takeover of the Republican Party by RINOs and candidacy of two RINOs (McCain and Romney) for President also helped.

Another is the repeal of a law that prohibited US Gov use of Media for propaganda and manipulation of the populous. (Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 repealed/changed in 2012 NDAA) .

Another is the educational system.

Media and a small small group of ppl. The far left has had control of the schools for sometime now and the work put in is now of voting age. It's why they want to lower voting age. The minions are ready. It's crazy.

They've really been pushing the socialist/communist narrative in education for many years.

Our leftist schools don’t teach about the historical and present day horrors of it and make it sound appealing while painting capitalism as evil.