In recent years, ELT professional discourse has been increasingly characterized by the active promotion of a number of ideas which lack popular appeal. It is argued that one reason for this trend is the influence of the prevailing intellectual ideology in the professionally-dominant Anglophone West - one of ‘political correctness’ (PC). The nature of the PC concept is outlined and the way in which it can be seen to have influenced ELT explained. It is further argued that, despite a healthy concern with opposing the abuse of power, the PC-based ELT stance is itself prone to the very same problem, and several representative examples of the unbalanced and distorted views that result are described. It is hoped the analysis provided will help to increase understanding of the ideological basis for trends in ELT, and thereby also improve critical evaluation of them.