Many American millennials seem to be drawn to socialism.

They came out in big numbers for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential primaries.

They rail against capitalism and their college campuses.

They wear chaguerbara t-shirts to signal their socialist virtue.

I know a lot about socialism.

I live in Rio de Janeiro and I work throughout Brazil as a journalist for a popular magazine.

In the early 2000s, Brazil's economy was growing rapidly.

The government had enacted economic and monetary reforms

and invested holdings in some state-run companies,

giving the private sector more room to breathe.

Inflation, a chronic problem in Brazil was dramatically reduced.

Forging investors poured into the country eager to catch a portion of our expanding economy.

The future seemed promising.

But today, our economy is in shambles.

Unemployment and debt are massive and powerful politicians are being investigated for involvement in the largest scandals of fraud and corruption in the country's history.

What happened?

In 2002, a socialist politician named Lula da Silva ran for the presidency.

He was a socialist but painted himself as a modern, cool kind of socialist.

He would be the politician who would heal national divisions and unite everyone.

He even had a nickname, Lulinha Paisiamur, which means little Lula peace and love in Portuguese.

But the old message about the need for income redistribution to decrease inequality was still there.

The media, academically eaten celebrities,

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