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yurbud

(39,405 posts)
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 01:35 PM Feb 2016

If you were born after the end of the Cold War, do you have a visceral reaction to "Socialist"?

or even Communist?

or does it have as much impact as whig, federalist, or the silly walk party?

I am old enough to remember the Cold War, and for all of the Cold War propaganda, I never had the visceral reaction to socialist or even communist the way I do to Nazi, Ku Klux Klan, or to a lesser extent, fascist.

I'm guessing that's even more true for those who grew up after the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction dialed down.

But I could be wrong.

Let me know in the poll and in your comments.


21 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
YES. I was born after the Cold War but communist and socialists get a negative gut reaction from me.
0 (0%)
YES. I was born after the Cold War but ONLY communist get a negative gut reaction from me.
0 (0%)
NO. I was born after the Cold War but communist and socialist get NO negative gut reaction from me.
2 (10%)
NO. I was born after the Cold War and have a positive reaction to socialist.
1 (5%)
YES. I'm old enough to remember the Cold War and communist and socialists get a negative gut reaction from me.
0 (0%)
YES. I'm old enough to remember the Cold War but ONLY communist get a negative gut reaction from me.
0 (0%)
YES. I'm old enough to remember the Cold War but communist and socialist get NO negative gut reaction from me.
4 (19%)
YES. I'm old enough to remember the Cold War and have a positive reaction to socialist.
13 (62%)
I'm voting for Donald Trump's hair
1 (5%)
OTHER
0 (0%)
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Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll
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If you were born after the end of the Cold War, do you have a visceral reaction to "Socialist"? (Original Post) yurbud Feb 2016 OP
what are we calling "end of the Cold War"? 0rganism Feb 2016 #1
It's not quite so much a function of a specific year, SheilaT Feb 2016 #6
I lived i Norfolk VA and recall the blaring sirens. angstlessk Feb 2016 #9
It's a pretty generally accepted historical era jcgoldie Feb 2016 #7
the "collapse of the soviet union" itself takes place over several years 0rganism Feb 2016 #8
I always think 1989. Mileage may differ nt arely staircase Feb 2016 #14
luckily EdwardBernays Feb 2016 #2
But the redbaiting is proof enough that enough Clinton supporters VulgarPoet Feb 2016 #3
righties called Obama a socialist, but I think it helped rather than hurt him yurbud Feb 2016 #4
I was born in 1980 firebrand80 Feb 2016 #5
so you're worried it will affect OTHER people but not you? yurbud Feb 2016 #11
That, and firebrand80 Feb 2016 #13
this is a little like one of the anti-gay arguments: it will confuse kids and they'll accidentally yurbud Feb 2016 #17
this is a little like one of the anti-gay arguments: it will confuse kids and they'll accidentally yurbud Feb 2016 #18
I was born in 1944. A red diaper baby. Tierra_y_Libertad Feb 2016 #10
You bear a striking resemblance to Arundhati Roy yurbud Feb 2016 #12
I voted "NO. I was born after the Cold War and have a positive reaction to 'socialist'." Odin2005 Feb 2016 #15
I want full communism Cheese Sandwich Feb 2016 #16
I was born in 1960, LWolf Feb 2016 #19
Born in '63 and not afraid of Socialism. n/t Motown_Johnny Feb 2016 #20
so far, what I can tell from this post is there are a lot of old farts here (like me) yurbud Feb 2016 #21
I was a child when the cold war ended... Bjorn Against Feb 2016 #22

0rganism

(23,856 posts)
1. what are we calling "end of the Cold War"?
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 01:39 PM
Feb 2016

seems kind of subjective, as it wasn't a declared war and wasn't resolved with a treaty.
might be easier to pick a year and say "born after 1989" or whenever you see the CW actually ending.

 

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)
6. It's not quite so much a function of a specific year,
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 02:23 PM
Feb 2016

as to what extent you can remember the Cold War, and that would depend on all sorts of things, including how much your own family paid attention to such things. Or what was said to you at school or perhaps even in church or on the playing field of some sport you participated in.

But I'd say generally anyone born after 1985 would have no significant memories of the Cold War. They might well remember watching the fall of the Berlin Wall on TV, but that would probably be it.

angstlessk

(11,862 posts)
9. I lived i Norfolk VA and recall the blaring sirens.
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 03:36 PM
Feb 2016

We just continued our kid stuff and never feared. I do not recall, in Catholic School...the duck and cover they might have performed in public schools?

Recon they thought Jesus was on OUR side?

0rganism

(23,856 posts)
8. the "collapse of the soviet union" itself takes place over several years
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 02:39 PM
Feb 2016

fwiw the wikipedia CW article concedes ambiguity: "Historians do not fully agree on the dates, but 1947–91 is common."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War

the OP considers anyone born post-1985 as qualifying.

so clearly there's some wiggle room. for purposes of this poll, it doesn't matter all that much to me, as i was born well before 1985.

EdwardBernays

(3,343 posts)
2. luckily
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 01:39 PM
Feb 2016

this has no meaning in the Presidential election, as no one involved is a socialist or a communist.

VulgarPoet

(2,872 posts)
3. But the redbaiting is proof enough that enough Clinton supporters
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 01:43 PM
Feb 2016

are still wearing those Cold War, red-scare blinders.

firebrand80

(2,760 posts)
5. I was born in 1980
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 01:47 PM
Feb 2016

I don't have a "they're the enemy" type reaction.

It does, however, strongly affect my "political prognosticator" sense.

yurbud

(39,405 posts)
17. this is a little like one of the anti-gay arguments: it will confuse kids and they'll accidentally
Tue Feb 2, 2016, 10:38 AM
Feb 2016

marry someone of the same sex.

Whenever someone trots out that argument, I ask if the person making it is or will be confused about their sexual orientation because of others being openly gay or gays getting married, and they always say, "Oh no, but somebody else might."

yurbud

(39,405 posts)
18. this is a little like one of the anti-gay arguments: it will confuse kids and they'll accidentally
Tue Feb 2, 2016, 10:38 AM
Feb 2016

marry someone of the same sex.

Whenever someone trots out that argument, I ask if the person making it is or will be confused about their sexual orientation because of others being openly gay or gays getting married, and they always say, "Oh no, but somebody else might."

 

Tierra_y_Libertad

(50,414 posts)
10. I was born in 1944. A red diaper baby.
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 03:39 PM
Feb 2016

Socialists have always been the Good Guys for me.

Capitalists always the bad guys.

Odin2005

(53,521 posts)
15. I voted "NO. I was born after the Cold War and have a positive reaction to 'socialist'."
Mon Feb 1, 2016, 08:07 PM
Feb 2016

Though technically I was born in 1986, my earliest memories are in 1990, so I have no memory of the Cold War.

LWolf

(46,179 posts)
19. I was born in 1960,
Tue Feb 2, 2016, 10:53 AM
Feb 2016

and my only visceral reaction to the Cold War is to the Reagan propaganda.

But then, I've never really been afraid of the world.

Bjorn Against

(12,041 posts)
22. I was a child when the cold war ended...
Tue Feb 2, 2016, 11:54 AM
Feb 2016

I voted as if I was born after the cold war ended because I was too young to really understand the Cold War and I don't remember even hearing the word "socialist" when I was young.

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