[Milton-L] Political and Correct

[John Leonard]

Rose Williams writes:


>I was the person yelled at by Carrol about "Politically Correct" -- even 
>though I was attempting to quote a book title,
> not giving a discourse on the term. I was also the one who asked him to 
> explain the history of the term as he understood it,
> which he did, off-list.
> It was interesting.
> Now, Carrol, try to answer this. . . etc.


Yes, yes, do do that, but please first give the interesting answer ON-list, 
since most of us didn't hear it, and would very much like to (at least I 
would).  In particular, I would like to know whether the history of 
"politically correct" is analogous to that of "Puritan", which began 
(according to contemporary sources cited in the OED) as a term used, without 
irony, to describe one's own position, and was then successfully purloined 
by the other side, who used it with irony to bring the (originally 
self-styled) Puritans down a peg or two.