You stood up to be counted with the enemies of everything the Grail stands for! Who gives a *damn* what you believe? — Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

When you pick a side, you get to own the positions and actions of that side. That means that, as a capitalist, I can expect to take heat for imperialism, banana republics, and African slavery. If you identify as a socialist or communist, expect that I am going to throw Auschwitz, the Gulag, and the Cultural Revolution at you. The best defense is to be as educated as you can be about not only the skeletons in your own political closet, but also about the good that your side does.