Kind of tangential here, I think. I apologize in advance.

> ...

All these words are simply words. We assign a significance to them, sometimes beyond their simple denotative meanings. Trying to revert to the denotative meaning and ignoring the connotation a word has taken on is speaking without regard for how your ideas are understood by the receiver, which can mean that they become offended, and then stop listening to your message with any sort of fair mind whatsoever. Is it their fault for choosing to be offended by the connotation society as a whole has assigned to those words when you didn't necessarily intend it? Not entirely. Is it your fault for being inconsiderate of how they will take your message? Not completely. It's just how communication works.

"Political correctness," when done correctly, is nothing more than being considerate of others and mindful of how your messages are received. The art of communication is crafting a message with regard for _how_ your receiver will receive it, so that it is understood the way you intended it to be. Without that awareness of how your receiver will take your words, communication falls apart, and we get... well, the mess that you're detailing, really.

Ria