Risk and Return (discussion)

In the last ten years a new term has be coined that is every interesting.  It goes like this:  Privatize the Profits and Socialize the Risk!  What does that mean?

The concept of Risk in investing is looked at in different ways by each invidual that invests their money for the future.  To some, investing their hard-earned money should be as safe as possible.  To others, Risk is just something you must do to be able to do to earn a rate of return on your principal.

Should investing be completely risk free to the average worker?  Or, rather, risk is something that each person that desires to invest their money must understand and that if they were to lose all their money because of a lack of understanding--so be it?