Sport and 'Othered' Bodies - KINE 1000 2025-26
KINE 1000 2025-26
Agenda
Announcements: Updates and important notices related to the course.
Lecture Schedule: Overview of topics to be covered in upcoming lectures.
Bird's Eye View of Unit: Outline of the unit's focus on social constructions of age and aging.
Social Construction of Age/Ageing: Examination of how society interprets aging.
Aging and Inequality: Explore disparities in aging experiences based on social factors.
Aging Well: Discuss what it means to age positively in society.
Sociological Imagination Activity
AI Age Progression Apps: Tools that allow users to visualize themselves as older individuals.
Discussion Prompts:
Who among participants has used age progression apps?
Personal reactions to using apps like FaceApp?
What is Age?
Definition of Age:
The number of years an individual has lived.
Physiological changes occurring within the body over time.
Medically defined state of being at a certain age.
Current societal reality reflecting aging demographics—"Greying of Canada".
Social Aspects of Age: Age is also shaped by social constructs and expectations, particularly in contexts such as childhood and youth.
Aging: A Socially Constructed Phenomenon
Aging is perceived through various social lenses:
Changing roles and contexts with age.
Arbitrary societal milestones marking negative perceptions of aging.
Aging is often stigmatized as something to resist.
The aging process is frequently medicalized and viewed as an individual experience.
Who are the Elderly?
Representations of Older Individuals:
Example: Working older adults; examination of what societal values these representations reflect.
Discussion of intersections with gender in aging narratives.
Representation Comparisons:
Representation 1 vs. Representation 2: Different cultural representations and their implications.
Consequences of narrow or inaccurate portrayals of aging as discussed in Meisner (2020).
Aging and Normalizing Judgment
Focus on societal narratives surrounding aging:
Example of Marketing: Burger King's slogan illustrating the aging process as enduring and connected to an iconic status ("70 years later the fire's still burning. Flame-grilled since 1954.").
'Normal' Aging = Aging 'Well'
Profiles of notable older athletes:
Fauja Singh: Recognized as the oldest marathon runner, completing a marathon at 100 years in Toronto; known as the "Turbaned Tornado".
Wendy Alexis: A Canadian woman who became the world’s fastest 70-year-old female sprinter.
Charlotte Chopin: A 102-year-old yoga teacher who is noted for maintaining an active lifestyle.
Anecdotal evidence that supports narratives of aging positively, exemplifying concepts like “aging well” through active living and sports participation.
Aging ‘Well’ Discourse: Ignored Messages
Underreported Issues:
Ageism: Prejudice against older adults, exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic (as noted by Meisner, 2020).
Structural Ageism: Issues related to long-term care and mistreatment of older adults.
Elder Abuse: Statistics indicate that 1 in 10 adults aged 65 and older experiences some form of abuse annually (Burnes et al., 2022).
Aging ‘Well’ Discourse: Gender and Other Factors
Gender Disparities:
Consequences of the wage gap become more pronounced with age, affecting economic stability.
Differences in healthcare experiences between elderly female and male patients.
Consideration of older LGBTQ individuals and how they are impacted by aging processes and societal attitudes.
York University Centre for Aging Research & Education (YU-CARE)
Education Opportunities: Information on how to obtain additional certification.
Get Involved: Research participation opportunities and community engagement.
Research Talks: Knowledge management and events that promote dialogue in aging research.
About Us: Overview of faculty members in the KINE department involved with aging research.
References
Complete citations and references as noted in the lecture materials, available in the related notes section of the document for further reading and exploration.
Medicalization of aging refers to the process by which aging and the associated physiological changes are increasingly framed as medical issues or conditions that require diagnosis, treatment, and management. This perspective often views aging as a pathological process rather than a natural part of life. As a result, aging may be treated with medical interventions, highlighting the need for healthcare responses to what are seen as age-related problems, like cognitive decline or physical deterioration, rather than recognizing these changes as normal aging processes. This can also lead to increased stigma around aging and a perception that getting older is something to be resisted or treated rather than embraced.
Normalizing judgment in the context of aging focuses on societal narratives surrounding aging. This concept emphasizes how certain perceptions of aging are shaped and reinforced by societal standards, often leading to critiques of aging processes and experiences. For example, marketing messages may portray aging in a negative light, suggesting that it is something undesirable. An example of this is Burger King's slogan that illustrates aging as enduring, indicating a connection to iconic status: "70 years later the fire's still burning. Flame-grilled since 1954." Such representations can create a framework where aging is viewed through a lens of resistance, potentially impacting how older individuals perceive their own aging process.
Pathological refers to a condition or state that is caused by or associated with disease, particularly in a way that might lead to dysfunction or other negative consequences. In a broader sense, it denotes something that deviates from the norm due to underlying health issues, marking the distinction between normal processes (like aging) and processes that require medical intervention and diagnosis. In the context of aging, referring to aspects of aging as pathological implies that they are seen as sicknesses to be treated instead of natural, expected changes in the life cycle.