Is there a word for "weaponized political correctness"?

Question

The term Political correctness is innocent enough. According to Wikipedia:

Political correctness is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society.

There's nothing wrong with being cognizant of peoples' sensitivities and understanding how your words may be interpreted by others.

But political correctness also has a darker and much more sinister meaning. In fact, the term itself is a euphemism for the kind of speech that could get you imprisoned or killed in certain countries and at certain times in history. In this context, political correctness describes a strict adherence to an ideological orthodoxy, and is used as a cudgel to castigate others whose opinions are merely different from your own (or what I like to refer to as the crime of "Heresy against Doctrine").

Rather than being a tool for civil discourse, it becomes a weapon of war (metaphorically speaking). This definition of "politically (in)correct" seems to be a watered-down phrase that does a disservice to what is actually going on.

Is there a specific term that is more appropriate for this usage?

Sample sentence:

"In our current state of radical polarization, [weaponized political correctness] has made rational, adult conversations about important sensitive topics nearly impossible to have."

The only words I can think of are Rhetoric (too generic), and newspeak (which is a pop culture reference not really in the common lexicon.)

Answer 1

What you described as a strict adherence to an ideological orthodoxy, and is used as a cudgel to castigate others whose opinions are merely different from your own is sometimes called censorship.

"In our current state of radical polarization, censorship has made rational, adult conversations about important sensitive topics nearly impossible to have."

Wikipedia:

Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information, on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient."
... It occurs in a variety of different media, including speech, books, music, films, and other arts, the press, radio, television, and the Internet for a variety of claimed reasons including national security, to control obscenity, child pornography, and hate speech, to protect children or other vulnerable groups, to promote or restrict political or religious views, and to prevent slander and libel.

Answer 2

I think extremism and dogmatism are good contenders. They both have the negative and political connotations you are looking for.

Extremism:

• The holding of extreme political or religious views

• A tendency or disposition to go to extremes or an instance of going to extremes, especially in political matters

  You can use 'political extremism' if you want to be more specific.

Dogmatism:

• The tendency to lay down principles as undeniably true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others

• Unfounded positiveness in matters of opinion; arrogant assertion of opinions as truths

  This emphasizes the theoretical fundamentals upon which a (political) system has been built. In the context you provide, I think this still might need to be clarified, by using 'liberal dogmatism', or something similar.

^{Definitions by Dictionary and Lexico, respectively.}