Noteworthy is political correctness's antagonism towards certain groups and explicit censorship of Constitutional rights, undermining the very fabric of freedom in America. The origin of political correctness is still debatable, although some scholars have traced it back to the early Marxist ideology that emerged in the Soviet Union around the early 1900s (Lind, 2000).
One must distinguish the two forms of political correctness. Economic political correctness, which has now come to be known as "economic progressivism " is an applied term that promotes forceful social and economic policies which, according to some, undo the ill-justices caused by capitalism. In this view, certain individuals are disadvantaged by modern societal structure. Not surprising is the persistent rhetoric, by supporters of this view, associating past coercive slavery with that of modern working conditions. Viewing class hierarchies as bad, they enact legislation that promotes policies, which attempt to correct this injustice. Social political correctness, on the other hand, is more aligned to fixing languages and beliefs in an attempt to bolster social harmony to minimize offenses towards certain groups rather then doing so by economic means (Lind, 2000, para. 1).
William Lind, the director of the Center for Cultural Conservatism, a think tank in Washington, D.C., carried out a comprehensive study of the origin of political correctness. According to Lind, political correctness sprung out of the Marxist ideology, which engulfed Russia in the early 1900s. Labeling it cultural Marxism, Lind (2000) states:.
First of all, both are totalitarian ideologies. The totalitarian nature of Political Correctness is revealed nowhere more clearly than on college campuses, many of which at this point are small ivy covered North Koreas, where the student or faculty member who dares to cross any of the lines set up by the gender feminist or the homosexual-rights activists, or the local black or Hispanic group, or any of the other sainted "victims" groups that political correctness revolves around, quickly find themselves in judicial trouble.
