Muted Group Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Muted Group Theory - Research Paper Example Thus, the female circle is neither invisible nor acknowledged-eventually, only a small part or rather, reflections of it are exposed.   Consequently, women’s experiences are felt only as â€Å"black holes† or reminiscences of society. Women’s on perspectives are restricted by this enforced tunnel vision, and their voices are not publicly articulated. Women, then, are   left with two choices.   They can attempt to translate their point of view into a masculine mode or try to detach alternate modes of communication. Both options are problematic. For one, the translation process can give rise to communication difficulties and an ensuing lack of communication satisfaction.   There are also structural barriers to the development of alternate communication modes, as men, whether conscious or not, will perpetuate their power by preventing other voices from being heard and acknowledged.   As a result, women’s voices are muted.   Working as a business a nalyst and meeting with business people who are usually male had been a challenging experience for me. Finding the right words , being articulate enough to sound straightforward like a man is just not of the female character that it posed a real challenge for someone working in a male dominated profession. There have been times I felt that my opinions were just solicited with my male colleagues just acting civilly in my presence, but not really listening and understanding what I was telling. I had to understand.... Working as a business analyst and meeting with business people who are usually male had been a challenging experience for me. Finding the right words , being articulate enough to sound straightforward like a man is just not of the female character that it posed a real challenge for someone working in a male dominated profession. There have been times I felt that my opinions were just solicited with my male colleagues just acting civilly in my presence, but not really listening and understanding what I was telling. I had to understand at those times that there are differences in the understanding and interpretations of men and women of the spoken words. That women usually tend to consider not only the literal meaning of what is said but also interpret meanings beneath it. Also, being with men made me somehow ‘lose’ my feminine identity because i had to act and sound like them for me to be accepted as a part of ‘their’ group. Note, however, that muting is not the same as silencing and that muting is only successful only when the non-dominant group (in this case, women) ceases to find and develop alternative communication styles to express their experiences and code their messages. When this happens, only traces are left of the original, a kind of palimpsest. Feminist communication scholars have documented the ways in which â€Å"masculine† language both inhibits and infects women’s forms of expression and how women are forced to double-code their messages through different rhetorical means. According to the muted group theory, women face a dilemma arising from the fact that their experiences and means of communication are restricted by their marginalization in society and their relative isolation within the private sphere-deemed not only irrelevant