I don’t hear the term “politically correct” very often, but when I do, it does a good job of irritating me. There are a couple different reasons why.

The etymology of the word doesn't seem to fit the way it’s used. According to the New Oxford English Dictionary, “Politically” is defined as “Relating to the government or public affairs of a country”. I’ll present a couple of examples of “politically correct”. The “politically correct” form of the term “faggot” or “gay” is “homosexual”, “hick” or “hillbilly” is “rural country”. I don’t see anything political about this. The terms fit the dictionary definition and are more polite. The closest connection to politics I can think of is the associated social ties between political opinions and what is considered to be polite among certain groups of people. But the way the word is used makes me feel that “polite”, “publicly accepted”, and “correct terminology” are better at describing what the idea of “politically correct” encompasses.

The second reason I dislike this word is the context in which certain people use it. The following are some extreme examples to easily convey the idea:

#1 – “They’re building a terrorist church over in the next town.”

#2 – “The building is called a mosque.”

#1 – “I don’t have time for that politically correct crap.”

#1 – “I had to sit next to a fag on the bus.”

#2 – “You mean a homosexual?”

#1 – “I don’t need to use that politically correct talk. It’s a pain in the ass.”

• You get the idea. Usually when I hear the term “politically correct”, it’s from somebody who finds it inconvenient to not be rude in the way they talk. They consider it an unnecessary euphemism. Avoiding a derogatory terms is not a terrible political restriction. It’s simply talking in the way that a polite and civil person should.