Who came up with political correctness?

Political correctness is a term popularized by conservatives in the 1990s in an effort to discredit efforts of liberals in the areas of multiculturalism and sensitivity to minorities.

Certain terms still in wide use were considered insensitive. “Developmentally delayed” is considered less insulting than “retarded.” Since people of all faiths use the same calendar the abbreviation “CE” for Common Era has largely replaced “AD” which was an abbreviation for the Latin “Anno Domini” or “year of our lord.”

In some cases people trying to be sensitive went overboard. In many circles “African American” is the preferred term when most people in that community are not offended by the term “black.” Likewise “Indigenous Americans” is preferred by many people trying to be culturally sensitive but “Indian” is not considered offensive by most. This was highlighted by comedians who coined yet more “politically correct” terms like “altitude challenged” for short and “aesthetically different” for ugly.

This is often used as a straw man argument by people who claim their views are being censored because they are unacceptable by supposed thought police.