Attitudes towards Socialists

Have you ever been angry to have people automatically assume that you are a Stalinist dictator because you happen to like Socialism? I have. I am sick of it. I thought about it a while, and I think the we can blame the Soviet Union and Richard Nixon-style Republicans. They demonized even the slightest socialist-leaning person into a threat. The Hammer and Sickle need to be claimed as socialist symbols of hard work and sacrifice, which is ironic because the Right-wing nowadays wants us to believe they are the ones for the common man. What is needed is a Socialist Party that wouldn't take bribes from special interest groups like corporations or the Koch Brothers. Things would be so much nicer without corporate lobbying.