The socialism becomes capitalist / capitalism becomes socialist circle goes way farther back than '84. I heard the same thing in '62.
The basis is/was that neither system can operate in pure form.
Capitalism itself does not address what we know as humanitarian issues - so some form of socialism gets grafted into the mix to accommodate those who cannot compete. Then there are public works, disasters, and wars to be fought and paid for. Eventually the guilds and crafts associations metastasize into unions...
Socialist ideals might work fine for a tribe of about a dozen people, early Christians and the Puritans tried it. Eventually it fails, in part because no one is motivated except those who direct and manage the 'equality'. Orwell did that part. It also fails because of the need to generate assets within the group and from without.
(In the most socialist of societies there will always be capitalists at work selling any excess they can produce - and hide - for whatever extras another capitalist has to sell.)
Eventually - some form of capitalism gets grafted into the mix and suddenly China wants to sell cars in the USA.
Socialism, unlike Capitalism, does pretend to have an answer for both governmental and personal needs, from each according to...etc.
That makes it comforting to many people on the bottom.
And, because they don't truly believe that it will apply to them, it also appeals to self defined intellectuals and people who are or think they are the elite.
A lot of people over the last century (+) thought it was a good idea until they found themselves living with it.
The lesson was that pure ideology on either end won't work.
Generally omitted from that lesson has been the fact that your professor probably held himself to be one of those elites who would somehow be 'more equal than other animals' within a socialist system.