According to Edwin Ardener, a British anthropologist, Muted group theory is a critical theory about certain groups of people who are muted or in other words, powerless compared to the others. After his contributions in anthropology that are the studies in gender and the domination of men over women, the muted group of theory brought illumination into the powers of the ignored and marginalized in the society.

In reflection to the film Nineteen Eighty – Four (1984), it can be seen how the superior upper regime manipulate the people of Ocenia. How their history is being altered. Big Brother or the acting leader of the said place was evidently controlling all the opinions, the mindset even the belief of his people. He kept on showing various political ads and videos, encouraging and making them believe that everything that is shown to them is right and just. These people then became muted of their own opinion and belief. They are being controlled by dominant people who has the power and capability to manipulate mindsets (saying to the people that there is war where in fact there is none).  

Last May 2016, the Philippines elected their new president namely, President Rodrigo Duterte. During their debate, Teddy Boy Locsin, the country’s new envoy to the United Nations, commented on the language used by the candidates, saying that “English is the language of men”. The interplay between language and power explains why Duterte, stuttering in Tagalog sounded so manly and that is because Filipino is a language of women. Look at how Grace Poe sounds more powerful when speaking in straight Filipino, while Mar Roxas doing the same sounded so lame. And this is where muted group theory comes in. It can clearly be seen how the gender inequalities are reinforced by language.

Stereotyping women is the most known example of this theory. According again to Kramarae, since the early times, women are not as free as men are to say what they wish primarily because the oral and norms for their use have been formed by the dominant group which is the men. Also the language that described and disputed women are far greater than men with more than 200 words to describe women and 22 words to describe men.

As multimedia arts student, muted group theory is essential in identifying how certain form of media is controlling and manipulating information to change history and the mindset of its people. The design that will be communicated to these audience must be clearly identified so that the message will be exact and unaltered.

References:

Muted Group Theory. (2010). Retrieved November 7, 2016, from http://communicationtheory.org/muted-group-theory/

Cortes, J. A. (2016, March 21). On Teddy Boy Locsin and the language of Philippine debates. Retrieved November 7, 2016, from https://www.facebook.com/notes/jed-asaph-cortes/on-teddy-boy-locsin-and-the-language-of-philippine-debates/985298321540793/