Two thoughts -

i) Where did the term "politically correct" come from - was it those who were being "politically correct" (like Philip I tend to think it is more about good manners) or is it really a put-down from those who were opposed to it. I suspect the latter.

I think there has always been a lot of propaganda by those trying to pour scorn on the idea. For example I was working in London when the GLC (Greater London Council, now abolished) was rife with rumours that it wasn't acceptable to use a black board or drink black coffee. I think they were like urban myths, blown out of all proportion by a largely reactionary press.

ii) A way round the problem, like tsuwm's idea of tailoring your words to your audience, is that as it was mainly "man" as in "chairman", "postman" for most of the last millennium we could use "woman" for at least the first half of this millennium, then we could swap back for the next few hundred years ...