Allain Kristi A, Marshall Barbara
St. Thomas University.
Trent University.
Can J Aging. 2017 Sep;36(3):402-414. doi: 10.1017/S0714980817000216. Epub 2017 Jun 23.
In light of recent social pressures leading to a reimagining of the "Third Age" as a time of constant activity rather than repose and relaxation, this article explores the pressure on individuals to age "successfully" by engaging in physical activity in later life. Through semi-structured interviews with 15 retired or semi-retired gym-goers (eight women and seven men), the article examines how this call to increased activity impacts the ways active mid-life and older adults understand themselves and others. Drawing on Foucault's understandings of the productive nature of power, we argue that those who perceive themselves as successfully heeding the call to active aging position themselves in contrast to inactive peers. Within a neoliberal framework, these participants self-identify as morally responsible citizens who, as a result of engagement in fitness activities, are authorized to survey and discipline the bodies of those "others" who will not or cannot engage in regular exercise.
鉴于近期的社会压力导致人们将“第三年龄”重新想象为一个持续活动而非休息放松的时期，本文探讨了个体在晚年通过参与体育活动来“成功”变老所面临的压力。通过对15名退休或半退休的健身者（8名女性和7名男性）进行半结构化访谈，本文研究了这种增加活动的呼吁如何影响活跃的中年及老年人对自己和他人的理解方式。借鉴福柯对权力生产性本质的理解，我们认为，那些认为自己成功响应积极老龄化呼吁的人，将自己与不活跃的同龄人区分开来。在新自由主义框架内，这些参与者将自己视为有道德责任感的公民，由于参与健身活动，他们有权审视和规范那些不愿意或不能定期锻炼的“他人”的身体。
