Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> On Aug 15, 2007, at 9:45 AM, Robert Wrubel wrote:
>
> > political correctness is a
> > sarcastic term coined in the late 20th century by
> > righties to slur liberals as mindless conformists.
>
> Though actually I think it originated in CP circles as an ironic usage.
Probably the origins are lost, and this is certainly one possibility, but I believe it was used within the womens' movement of the '80s partly in irony, partly as comradely joking, and partly as warning against various kinds of excess -- but it was not until Bush Senior used it in a Commencement Address at the University of Michigan that it was seized on by right-wing bigots such as Wojtek for purposes of stroking their sense of self-importance.
Carrol