"Socialism" has become a dirty word in the US largely due to historical reasons involving the cold war. As a result its definition in the minds of Americans is

"Socialism" has become a dirty word in the US largely due to historical reasons involving the cold war. As a result its definition in the minds of Americans is very often something completely different than the actual definition. Basically it's just the evolution of language. They're two different words now, depending which side of the Atlantic you're on.