Ever
wonder why you feel as though you deserve to spend your money on ridiculous
things? These feelings tend to be followed by a justification as to why you
deserve it. Furthermore, as part of the justification, one may identify who
doesn’t deserve it. Ontological insecurity, a concept discussed by Young (2000)
as “the cultural fear of not being a part of the
status quo” discusses the notion of feelings of inclusion and
exclusion. Politics of inclusion and exclusion have been around for quite some
time. As Macpherson (1977) points out “working class, women, youth – all,
historically, fell outside the boundaries of citizenship…rules of exclusion
were longstanding” (Ferrell, Hayward & Young, 2008, p.26) Even when we
discuss the founding of
democratic states, we forget that some people were excluded (slaves). In modern
day society, politics of inclusion and exclusion are present due to the
disparity between the rich and the poor in our capitalist society. We
are constantly being categorised as either deserving, or non deserving; a
member, or not a member, depending on our financial status. There is this sense
that when you work hard, you deserve to reward yourself here and there. Therefore, those who cannot afford the same things as you don’t
deserve it because they don’t work hard enough. This assumption creates a
larger divide between classes and further perpetuates an “us vs. them”
dichotomy. “The profoundly precarious position of most of those ‘included’ in
late modern society in turn spawns anger, vindictiveness, and a taste for
exclusion.” (Ferrell, Hayward & Young, 2008, p. 62)
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These
fitness facilities attempt to provide a fabricated exclusive identity of being
socially “fit” to its’ members, in order to reduce their physical insecurities.
Politics of inclusion and exclusion, which are utilized by the clubs, reduce individual’s anxieties about body image and identity. Being a part of the facilities allow individuals to “…maintain a ‘decent’ standard of living, to support
a ‘successful’ lifestyle, to allay the constant fear of failing, [which]
requires unreasonable effort, self-control, and restraint.” (Ferrell, Hayward
&Young, 2008, p.62). For example, the “mini-city” of Celebration Florida is
based on the same premise; a structured place, which helps you exclude yourself
from others who cannot afford the same luxuries as you and who aren’t as
deserving as you (while making everyone aware of this fact). The individuals living
in places like Celebration Florida, definitely do not want everyone to live
there. The same concept can be applied when thinking about fitness clubs. The
Westin Ottawa Health Club costs nine hundred dollars a year, which works out to
about seventy five dollars a month. This restricts the type of
individual who can attend this club to those of higher
socio-economic status. Furthermore, in order to demonstrate the luxuries
their members can afford to the general public, they advertise in places like
buses, which tend to be frequented by the less privileged. Not only are
individuals separated from others by being a member, but they can be even
further included or excluded through the various additional services offered to
them within the gym facility itself. Members can be classified by gym package,
as well as through the various extra amenities. In the end,
most of the members are receiving the same benefits, if not less, than those working out outside. The difference is, members are
seen as prestigious and included, whereas anyone else is seen as poor and
excluded.
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References
Ferrell, J.,
Hayward, K., & Young, J. (2008) Cultural
Criminology. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Macpherson,
C.B. (1977) The Life and Times of Liberal
Democracy. University of California: Oxford University Press.
“The
Westin”. (2010). “The Health Club at The Westin Ottawa”. Retrieved from: http://www.westinhealthclub.com
Young, J. (2000). What Is
Dwelling? The Homelessness of Modernity and the Worlding of the World. In H. L.
Deyfus, M. A. Wrathall, & J. E. Malpas, Heidegger, Authenticity, and
Modernity (pp. 1-409). New Baskerville: Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
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