re: #62 b_sharp

In point of fact, I think it was actually The New Left that spread the term initially in the late 60s, and used it in a positive sense, but people quickly became annoyed by the stick up their ass and the term took on negative connotations.

But I agree with you that “conservatives” have used the word’s negative sense a lot since as a way of saying “I refuse to not be a douche!” In the UK, the phrase “political correctness gone mad” has become a running joke for comedians, as in “Not allowing me to steal candy from a baby is political correctness gone mad!”

It’s interesting that a word can go from positive to negative connotations and then stay negative, but the opposite never happens.