Friday, April 25, 2008
Muted Group Theory
Muted Group Theory attempts to explain why certain groups in society are muted which means they are either silent or not heard. Women and men are obviously biologically different but socially treated differently as well. These differences explain why women (and minorities) are considered muted groups because they are considered to be lower in status or subordinates than the dominant groups. Because women as a muted group feel muted, they believe that they have no choice other than to conform and to change the way they act and talk.
This clip, shown above, is from the comedy series Everybody Loves Raymond and the episode entitled Debra Bad Moon Rising. In this episode, Ray's attempts to alleviate Debra's PMS moodiness but only makes her more irritable. When Ray witnesses Debra's hypersensitive mood and generally annoyed reaction to everything he says and does, he checks the calendar and realizes it's going to be a long couple of days ahead. In his convenient desire to get a "quick fix" for Debra's womanly problems, he turns a bad situation worse by suggesting that a simple pill will help with his wife's insufferable mood swings.
We live in a patriarchal society dominated by men. Ray is showing his dominance over Debra by being insensitive to her biological issues. He thought he could conveniently help her with a pill, which really he just wanted to help himself. He diminished and simplified her problem, but ignored the bigger issue which was his lack of support for her needs. She wanted to her express her feelings of the way she felt throughout her time of the month but he kept silencing her. He tried silencing her by ridiculing and saying that he understood but just wanted to get the pill. He also used control but making his male dominant role as central and her needs as eclipsed. He interrupts her and does not want to listen to her needs but tries to stop her bad mood from rising.
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7 comments:
I think this is a good example of muted group theory. Debra is clearly part of the muted group. Her husband Ray is part of the majority group and does not feel that he is muting his wife by trying to do what he believes will help her, but he is. This is because he is mostly looking out for himself and not really his wife. He is ridiculing her with the pill, whether he means to or not. Women are often part of the muted group, and it is clearly demonstrated here.
In this clip Ray is definitely muting Debra and unfortunately, many women get muted by their significant others when its "that time of the month." Ray, not knowing what to do to help Debra, tries giving her pills. She is trying to explain how his support and understanding would help more than anything but he just doesn't listen. He talks over her and gets her pills. At this point she is no longer speaking. She remains silent because despite what she tries to say, Ray just does not listen.
This is a good example of muted group theory. Throughout the clip Debra is definitly part of the muted minority. When she tries to express herself Ray keeps interupting her in order to gain control of the conversation. He wanted her to take the pill so he just ignored her and whatever else she was trying to get across to him. This caused Debra to give up and become muted.
I think that this an excellent example of the muted group theory. Ray tries to mute Debra by simply giving her a pill like a pill can solve all of her problems, when what she really needs is support. In a way it is sad and pathetic that men do these kinds things to try and mute women, especially women they love.
This is a good example of Muted Group Theory because is shows how the dominate group, men, ridicule the muted group, women. Ray ridicules his wife for a soley female issue. There are the not the correct mean in which to express herself, therefore Debra comes off as being moody and cranky.
This is a good example of muted group theory. Constantly men do not want to hear about women problems, so they just block them out or mute them. Ray's way of muting Debra in the segment is to give her pills to quiet her. It shows how Ray shows his dominant role as a man by having no sympathy for her women issues. He clearly makes Debra feel insignificant and changes the subject. The muted group theory is illustrated well here.
This is a perfect example of muted group theory because in this clip Ray trivializes Debra's speech and feelings by thinking a pill can cure PMS moods. Women must translate to communicate to men but no matter what some men like Ray will never understand women.
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