Usage is always political, of course, but it's complexly political.
With respect, for instance, to political change, usage conventions can
function in two ways: On the one had they can be a
reflection of
political change, and on the other they can be an
instrument of
political change. These two functions are different and have to be
kept straight. Confusing them -- in particular, mistaking for
political efficacy what is really just a language's political symbolism
-- enables the bizarre conviction that America ceases to be elitist or
unfair simply because Americans stop using certain vocabulary that is
historically associated with elitism and unfairness.
-- David Foster Wallace. "Tense Present: Democracy,
English, and the Wars over Usage" Harper's. (April 2001): p.55