Political correctness... how did it go so very wrong?

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I remember the beginning of the P.C. movement, back in the 1980's, on and around college campuses in the name of tolerance. The original intent was to remove some of the barriers to learning that many people who were "different" experienced. The basic idea was from the old saying, walk a mile in someone's shoes before you pass judgement. The literal effect on day-to-day life was to make sure everybody understood it was no longer cool to cough out the word "fatso" 5 or 6 times when an overweight person walked past, and other genuinely hurtful behaviors. So, how did it turn into the twisted weapon of far left control freaks that it seems to be today? (Yes, I said left-wing control freaks, get over it!) How did it become an acceptable form of censorship that everyone is supposed to kowtow to? I am all for having some sensitivity to how my words and actions affect others, but this mindless pursuit of totally neutral language for everything makes me want to beat the stuffing out of someone! I'm foaming at the mouth about this because someone on another site took me to task for using what they interpreted as the word "girl" in my username (I'm gardengrrl just about everywhere, gardengrrl8 everywhere else!) First of all, it's a nickname the old drunks behind my apt. in town gave me, because I was always "growling" at them for peeing around my container garden; second, if it was meant to infer "girl", it would have been a reference to the "brattgrrl" subset of the post-punk movement in the gay clubs of the 80's, and I'm cool with that; thirdly, I don't give a damn if somebody, somewhere, could maybe, possibly be offended by their interpretation of my username. Pardon my "crudite", but, f**k 'em if they can't take a joke! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!