Is "hegemonic discourse" really that hegemonic?

Just came across this article. Really interesting...

It is currently a favorite complaint and/or explanation: a "hegemonic discourse" is repressing someone. Thus, for instance, it is said that "patriarchal" societies practice a hegemonic masculinist discourse, and that this is why when gender-feminists try to say their truth they are driven to such linguistic enormities. Or again, Christians who actually believe the gospel are said to bind the religious impulses of their fellow denominationalists with dogmatically grammared language, which is why when the latter try to express the depths within them these come out seeming so paltry. Et cetera. [continue...]

Though it reads a lot like one of my 4th-year readings, in a nutshell, the good professor is saying that the post-modern notion of "hegemonic discourse", which state that there are types of speeches that represses someone else's belief - a nod to postmodernism's embrace of the crazy notion of "relative truths", is a bit ridiculous, because every discourse is inevitably "hegemonic" in nature. Or how could we ever learn to talk to one another? The "hegemony" of language, the "hegemony" of good grammar... you picture a guy blurting Singlish to a non-English-speaking tourist - this is the kind of chaos that result from politically-correct "non-hegemonic discourses" - stuff that scratches itchy ears that hear only what they want to hear.

Not that I'm saying that all "hegemonic" discourse are good. Some are really hegemonic - think of hate and racist speech, for example. Or more simply, as the Bible puts it wisely - "Do not let any unwholesome words come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building others up, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians)

Therefore the penultimate enterprise of seeking less oppressive linguistic polities is not hopeless. We must only be aware of what a tremendous thing we are then attempting, and of the true possibilities and limits of human enterprise on such lines. My suspicion is that if we achieve such awareness, we will stop worrying about "hegemonic discourse."

Sheesh. Methinks postmodern discourse really is a whole lot of complicated smoke, in order to sound politically correct. Think all this kind of talk only serves to produce, in CS Lewis' words, "Men without Bodies". :P