More political correctness to worry about

Goodbye, Spry Codgers. So Long, Feisty Crones says the New Old Age Blog at NYTimes.com. The allowable vocabulary for referring to the oldest Americans has shrunk considerably. Insults such as "codger" or "crone" were never politically correct, of course. But now, according to the International Longevity Center, we should no longer say "senior citizen" (because there are no "junior citizens") or "golden years."

Even the obviously harmless word "elderly" is now off limits. You can use the word for groups ("a home for the elderly" is ok, if barely) but not for individuals ("an elderly woman" is now per se demeaning).

Who makes these rules?

Whose feelings are we trying to spare? Why?