When is middle age?

I am interested in age. The cultural significance, the mechanics of it, how we measure it, how we recognize it, etc.

At the beginning of the 20th century, life expectancy in the US was something on the order of 40 years. It is now close to eighty. This changed reality has unevenly filtered into our language and social norms.

A tragedy this weekend in Atlanta highlights this.

From Fan Dies After Falling From Upper Deck at Atlanta’s Turner Field by Billy Witz.

ATLANTA — A man in his early 60s died Saturday night after falling more than 40 feet from the upper deck at Turner Field during the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.

After being attended to by fans and paramedics, the man was transferred to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to eyewitnesses, a middle-aged man wearing a Braves cap stood up from his seat in the second row behind home plate to boo the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez when he was announced as a pinch-hitter. The man then seemed to lose his balance and fell forward over several women who were seated in the front row.

I am not poking at Witz. I see this all the time and I think he simply reflects a societal shift that is not much talked about or reflected upon. The point of oddity is equating "A man in his early 60s" with "middle-aged."

Not only are we living longer, but some portion of those who live longer are also living far healthier. I know plenty of 60 and 70 year-olds who don't look much older than late forties or early fifties. I see why someone can be in his early sixties and also be seen to be middle-aged. But it still rings oddly.