MUTED GROUP

THEORY
~THE LITTLE MERMAID~
LEE KAI SIN
MABEL NG MIN
LIEW LI YING
C A LV I N
INTRODUCTION
• 1989 American movie
• Ariel, mermaid princess who dreams to become a human and
fall in love with the Prince Eric.
• The movie involved the assumptions and concepts of Muted
Group Theory.
• It refers a specific group that have power and another group
who has an inferior position such as men and women.
• Men produced the significant ideas and knowledge about the
world, so that women’s voice have been ignored.
Assumption 1
BECAUSE OF MEN HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND ACTIVITIES
ROOTED IN THE DIVISION OF LABOR, SO WOMEN PERCEIVE THE
WORLD DIFFERENTLY THAN MEN.

• The difference of men and women is because of the

experience and division of labor.
• This theory contains the cause of muteness by a
certain group especially of women in the society.
• Upholds a gender perspective where the male is the
dominant class in our society.
ASSUMPTION 1
• Scene: Princess Ariel planned to go out of sea and
see prince Eric, but Sebastian stopped her and tell
her “stop talking crazy”.
• He used his experience to persuade Ariel like
telling her that outside is not like what her
imagined.
• The men always supposed to have more
experience will attach this experiences to other
people, and the women who listened to the men
Assumption 2
BECAUSE THE MEN’S POLITICAL DOMINANCE, THEIR SYSTEM OF
PERCEPTION IS DOMINANT, IMPEDING THE EXPRESSION AND
REACTION OF WOMEN’S ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF THE WORLD.
• It was found that it is difficult for women to articulate
their ideas as men's experience are dominant.
• The women always choose to adapt the situation that
decided by men and live with the attitude where their
opinions maintain muted when speaking.
• The voices come out by the women and other
unheard people will always be ignored and muted.
ASSUMPTION 2
• Scene: Ariel was discovered to go to surface by her
dad, King Triton and her dad is scolding her and
warning her not to do again.
• Ariel wanted to explain more to his dad, but King
Triton just say to her “no other word” and stop her
when she was talking.
• King Triton warned Ariel again for do not trying to go
out anymore, then Ariel became silent and left.
Assumption 3
WOMEN MUST TRANSFORM THEIR MODELS IN LINE WITH THE
RECEIVED MALE SYSTEM OF EXPRESSION IN ORDER TO
PARTICIPATE THE SOCIETY.

• Women should convert their unique ideas, experiences,

and meanings into male language if wanted to be heard.
• Women must transform their perceptions or models of
perceiving into terms of the dominant group.
• Women can have a change when intend to take part into
the society and try to receive male language or system to
take part in men’s society.
ASSUMPTION 3
• Scene: As Ariel already got her legs and meet her
prince, Eric, she tried to participate to the human life
by transforming what she need to do.
• When she saw something of the novelty, she tried to
use it immediately, because she wanted to participate
the prince’s life.
• She wants to achieve a goal which is go into the
prince’s life by transforming her model.
• Ariel agreed with whatever the prince said.
Concept 1
MUTE GROUP THEORY RELATES TO THE MUTENESS.

• The concept is about the inability of saying, or

articulating the feelings, thought, and ideas during a
communication process.
• The result of the muteness is caused by a pressure
which is felt by the minority. The minority is afraid
about telling the truth, because they don’t have
much power as the dominant have.
Concept 2
MUTE GROUP THEORY RELATES TO HOW THE DOMINANT IS MORE
POWERFUL THAN THE NON- DOMINANT.

• The concept is about the stereotype in the society

about man has more power than woman.
• It is not much different from the gender- based
perception. In gender- based perception.
• Silence happens because of pressure.
Concept 3
THE ‘MUTING’ PROCESS

• Muting process was created by some several scholars.

• Houston and Kramarae had think that women have been silence
in many ways.
contemptuous fun of women’s related lexicon.
men build up the family hierarchies.
it form a male to controlled the media.
look down the women’s ideas, opinions concerns and selectivity
remove women’s voice.
Concept 3
THE ‘MUTING’ PROCESS

• Scene: The king heard his daughter Ariel fall in love

with the human so he argue with her daughter Ariel
last he destroyed Ariel’s collection.
• The men was control a women.
• Look down women’s opinion concern.
• Selectivity remove women’s voice.
Concept 4
STRATEGIES TO AVOID THE ‘MUTING’ PROCESS

• According to West and Turner (2010), here are strategies to

avoid the "Muting" process: Name the silencing factors, had it
been men or news agencies
Reclaim, elevate and celebrate women's discourse
Create new words to the language system that are inclusive
of marginalized groups and gendered words and experiences
use media platforms (traditional and new) to voice groups
Concept 4
STRATEGIES TO AVOID THE ‘MUTING’ PROCESS

• Scene: Ursula brainwashes Ariel to sign the

agreement for exchange between she can be human
and her voice must give by Ursula.
• Women had the choice to voice up.
• Women can make their own decision.
• Believe what yourself (women) that you are right.
CONCLUSION
• Muted Group Theory is explain the anthropology about
the genders.
• Refers to disparities between dominant group and subordinate
group, such as men and women.
• “Mute” means that people cannot express their ideas or
thoughts clearly.
• From the theory, we have learned about the dominant group
suppresses the less powerless group and the suppression of
subordinate group.
• How a people gain their voice based on the gender or their