I think despite people's best efforts socialism is becoming less of a dirty word. Every time you correct someone by identifying that what they're thinking of is authoritarianism or communism you can bring them around to the idea that socialism is just allowing workers to have more of a say in their workplace and decommodifying basic needs, which is much harder to be so hard-line against.

Of course socialism is just a stepping stone to communism but it could never happen without some generations of de-programming our culture from this capitalist mindset.