I'm about as un-PC as you can get, but I still practice common sense and common fucking courtesy. We don't have to throw out the dog with the bathwater.

As you point out it’s just a disparaging term for civility. So let’s go back to using the term “civility” and discuss being civil and let the right wing own the term “political correctness”. Most of us refuse to use “right to life” and I think we should do the same with “political correctness “.

Simple respect for beginners.

When Black people used the term “Black” to describe themselves simple respect, not politics, made everyone else use the term. The same goes for the terms Gay and LGBTQ in place of homosexual, or Native American over Indian. When women objected to being referred to as broads it had nothing to do with politics. It was an act of self respect and a demand for respect.

Simple manners aren’t politics. They’re social cohesion which is rapidly disappearing under Trump.

But, many of the same people who are offended by potential criticism for using hateful language are on board when it comes to not using profanity around our grandparents or in formal contexts.
The only difference is a matter of the challenge to dominance in the face of criticism for expressing animosity and disdain toward the hearer andor demonized population.

The bigots have turned "PC" into a curse word. I suggest we not use that term at all.

Really, non-bigoted speech isn't "Politically Correct." It's just following proper etiquette. It's just courtesy, which is rather uncommon these days. Politics should not enter into it at all.

Just don't use bigoted words and concepts in your speech. Easy Peasy.

It was originally started in the 70s with the feminist and minority movements, but as the term began to spread to embrace other beliefs, it became top heavy and the conservatives managed to shred it to the point that we do need to get back to the simple origins and meaning.

"common courtesy."

I can't help but wonder just what it is that anti-PCers want to say when they complain about it.

... is just saying "I'm unable to speak about the substance of a topic and be a nice person".

is the best approach.

Somewhere along the line, PC got attached to these qualities so that those for whom the concept is foreign could disparagingly refer to it as PC. Two words with seven syllables. Ooooohhhh, look at them. They be smart.

In fact, when a coarse, redhat-type uses PC in an attempt to negatively discredit an argument, I'll toss something like "So you don't believe good manners are important?" back at them. It will often trip them up enough to begin fumbling for words.

the term was tossed about at Stanford University as a way of changing attitudes by changing speach. I think it was used in ways that might be valid, but were ripe for mockery. Right wingernuts, think Limbaugh, heard about the use talked about it as though it was the new thing for Democrats to shame "regular Americans" for saying "regular American" things.
It quickly became something to distance yourself from. A brash new comic came up with a show called Politically Incorrect to show he wasn't one of those namby pamby liberals. Almost immediately you couldn't find anyone who would claim to be Politically Correct. It was like being Goth or Emo everyone distanced themselves even if they seemed a textbook example. At most the practitioners have been a small group of overthinking academics who imagined enforcing a certain politeness. Since that it has been used as an excuse for calling people names. Saying I'm not Politically Correct is another way of saying suck it up buttercup.