How Did The Phrase "Politically Correct" Originate?

Politically correct -- or PC -- was a term coined by left-wing liberals on the west coast of America, in the late 1980s.  It was used to indicate occasions when someone might say something that wouldn't be tolerable to all the group.  Usually because it was insensitive to the situation of some people, or because it was deemed to reveal unpalatable political preferences.

The American political right wing picked up on the term in the early-mid1990s and it soon spread across the Atlantic to Britain.  It is now used to indicate any gesture or statement which is deemed to be excessively pandering to minority interests and sensitivities.

It is ironic that a phrase which was coined by the left wing to ironically make fun of itself -- became used quite viciously by the right wing to dismiss as insubstantial concession towards the sensitivities of others.  Trying to be sensitive to the feelings of minority groups, and making sure that the cultural expression of minority groups isn't drowned out by the majority, makes you a political namby-pamby and weak.

Unless the issue is something like if the American flag gets burnt as part of political protest.  If you are sympathetic to the minority who find that highly offensive, you're not being PC, you're being "patriotic".

Hmmm...