Muted Group Theory and Walt Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”

When Walt Disney released its adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s â€Å"The Little Mermaid,† it had become a box-office hit.   Yet, the movie captured the attention not just of young girls back in the late 1980s, but sociologists and anthropologists as well since the movie became a perfect example of what they had termed as the â€Å"muted group theory.†Ã‚   In this paper, the concept of the muted group theory as proposed by Cheris Kramarae will be discussed as well as supporting evidences seen in society in general and in the movie of Walt Disney’s â€Å"The Little Mermaid.† Kramarae’s Muted Group Theory According to Cheris Kramarae, language is something that was constructed by man.   The words and thoughts of women are ignored in our society.   Because of this, it is difficult for women to express their experiences as opposed to men.   Kramarae further stated that language does not serve all its speakers in an equal manner regardless of the culture because women are not as free as men to say what they want, when they want and where they want. Men have a dominant control of society and how the members of society should express themselves. As such, different terms are used to describe tasks done by both males and females even when they are doing the exact same thing.   It is also because of this that most sexual suggestions that are considered degrading are usually referring to women than to men (Anderson & Haddad, 2005; Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 1992; Epstein, 1986; Griffin, 2003; Prentice, 2005; West, 1983).   In order for women to express themselves to others, they must do so as how males express themselves (Epstein, 1986; Griffin, 2003; Rogers. 1978; Stets & Burke, 1996). The concept that women are a muted group was first proposed by Edwin Ardener.   Edwin Ardener was an anthropologist who discovered that a group becomes mute due to the lack of power that is experienced of a group with a low status.   Ardener called the theory the muted group theory because these muted groups are liken to black holes since they are muffled, overlooked and invisible (Griffin, 2003; Prentice, 2005; Rogers, 1978). Muted Group Theory in Today’s Society Although today’s society stresses on equality between the male and female genders, various sociologists, linguistics and anthropologists have gathered substantial evidences to show that the muted group theory proposed by both Ardener and Kramarae are still evident. In a classroom which is composed by both male and female, female students tend not to speak as confidently as their male classmates. They also speak in class less frequently than males.   In events that the females do participate in class, they do not talk as loud or as candidly as males do. This is because it is the social norm that females should be polite and restrained while the males are assertive and vocal (Anderson & Haddad, 2005; Canada & Pringle, 1995; Epstein, 1986; Walker, Ilardi, McMahon & Fennel, 1996).   Because of this norm instilled in women at an early age, women more often avoid confrontations and direct disagreements even after completing their academic degrees (Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 1992). In the workplace, women tend to be subordinate to men.   For example, women in the military are not deployed in combat as often as men.   In the academic community, most of the academic departments and schools of knowledge recognize the contributions of men rather than women (Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 1992; Walker, Ilardi, McMahon & Fennel, 1996).   Also, what many would be considered as a powerful speech when used by man will not to be as effective if the same speech is delivered by a woman (Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 1992; Epstein, 1986; West, 1983). In the study of cultures and societies, research would only focus on the information given by male informants and would ignore the information received from female informants since the researchers assumes that women are less articulate than men, causing anthropologists not being able to understand women.   As a result, interest in female roles and status had slowly diminished since many researchers view males were more important in society than females (Ardener, 1985; Prentice, 2005; Rogers, 1978). Muted Group Theory in â€Å"The Little Mermaid† When Kramarae began her research on the muted group theory, she used cartoons as the basis of her study (Griffin, 2003).   For this paper, the cartoon that was selected is Walt Disney’s adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s â€Å"The Little Mermaid.† This paper will be focusing on one scene in the movie which is that between Ariel, the mermaid who wanted to become a human more than anything in the world, and Ursula, the sea witch.   After an argument with her father, Ariel visits Ursula in her lair under the impression that she could be able to give her the very thing her heart desired: to become human and to be with the human prince Eric. Ursula told her that she is will be able to make her into a human being for three days.   In order for her to be able to remain human permanently, she would have to be kissed by the prince as a symbol of his true love for her.   If she fails, she would go back to being a mermaid.   As payment for this, Ursula demanded Ariel her voice (Clements & Musker, 1989). As previously mentioned, one of the premise of Kramarae on the muted group theory, in order for a woman to be able to express herself, she must do so the way how men express themselves (Epstein, 1986; Griffin, 2003; Rogers. 1978).   This is clearly explained by the character of Ursula: The men up there don't like a lot of blabber.   They think a girl who gossips is a bore.   Yes, on land it’s much preferred for ladies not to say a word and after all, dear, what is idle prattle for?   Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation.   True gentlemen avoid it when they can. But they dote and swoon and fawn on a lady who’s withdrawn. It’s she who holds her tongue who gets her man (Menken & Ashman, 1989). Here, Ursula had advised Ariel what a human woman should be like.   Since Ariel mentioned that she would want to remain human and the only way to get that is for the prince to fall in love with her, the only way for her to do so is to act like a proper human woman would. Indeed, the accepted norms in human societies are based on the activities, values and expressions of males.   Hence, the means of how women interact with others are considered to be improper (Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 1992; Stets & Burke, 1996). In the movie, Ariel has been known for her beautiful singing voice.   This made Ariel more superior than anyone in the kingdom.   It was because of her voice that she is not only the favorite of King Triton among his daughters, but also the reason why in spite of her age, she is looked up upon by her siblings (Clements & Musker, 1989).   Ariel’s ability to sing can be likened to the way how a woman would express herself in society. The ability for a woman to express herself as a woman would give her a separate identity and thus give her a superiority that may rival that of a man, or even surpass it.   Furthermore, her ability to save Eric’s life during the storm shows how a woman could be able to surpass the capabilities of a man given the opportunity. By stripping her of her ability to sing, Ariel is also stripped of the very thing that would set her apart from everyone else, her ability to sing.   This is the very thing reason why women are considered a muted group by many sociologists and anthropologists.   The act of a man listening to a woman would mean that the man would be denouncing their dominant position in society because men view discussions initiated by women as not to have any importance (Dras, 1986; Epstein, 1986; Griffin, 2003). For this reason, cultural establishment had prejudged and excluded art, poetry, plays and films created by women (Ardener, 1985; Epstein, 1986; Griffin, 2003) since it is a way for women to express themselves through various forms.   Also, since she had been used to swimming, being given legs made her vulnerable since she is not able to do things on her own.   As such, the roles of Eric and Ariel have become reverse with Ariel becoming dependent to Eric to teach her how to walk, showing his dominance over her. Conclusion Initially, the muted group theory would appear to be sexist in nature since it puts females at a disadvantage in society.   Given the premises proposed by both Ardener and Kramarae, however, the muted group theory sheds light on the reason why society even today still refers to women as the â€Å"inferior sex.†   The muted group theory had proposed that the gender difference experienced in society particularly in how women express themselves lies on the fact that society is a patriarchal society, meaning that society’s norms and values are based on the norms and values of the male gender.   Movies such as Walt Disney’s â€Å"The Little Mermaid† have shown that in spite of the ability of the female gender to express itself, society prohibits them to do so. References Anderson, D. M. & Haddad, C. J. (March 2005). Gender, voice, and learning in online course environment. Journal of asynchronous learning networks, 9(1), 3-14. Ardener, S. (October 1985). The social anthropology of women and feminist anthropology. Anthropology today, 1(5), 24-26. Canada, K & Pringle, R. (July 1995). The role of gender in college classroom interactions: a social context approach. Sociology of education, 68(3), 161-186. Clements, R. & Musker, J. (Directors). (1989). Walt Disney's the little mermaid [Motion picture]. United States: Walt Disney Pictures. Drass, K. A. (December 1986). The effect of gender identity on conversation. Social psychology quarterly, 49(4), 294-301. Eckert, P. & McConnell-Ginet, S. (1992). Think practically and look locally: language and gender as community-based practice. Annual review of anthropology, 21, 461-490. Epstein, C. F. (Winter 1986). Symbolic segregation: similarities and differences in the language and non-verbal communication of women and men. Sociological forum, 1(1), 27-49. Griffin, E. (2003). A first look at communication theory, 5th Ed.   New York: McGraw-Hill. Menken, A. & Ashman, H. (1989). Poor Unfortunate Souls [Recorded by Pat Carroll]. On Walt Disney's the little mermaid: an original walt disney records soundtrack. California: Walt Disney Records. Prentice, C. (2005).   Third party candidates in political debates: muted groups struggling to express themselves. Speaker and gavel, 42, 1-12. Rogers, S. C. (January 1978). Woman's place: a critical review of anthropological theory. Comparative studies in society and history, 20(1), 123-162. Stets, J. E. & Burke, P. J. (September 1996). Gender, control, and interaction. Social psychology quarterly, 59(3), 193-220. Walker, H. A., Ilardi, B. C., McMahon, A. M. & Fennell, M. L. (September 1996). Gender, Interaction and Leadership. Social psychology

Equality, diversity and inclusion in work Essay

Importance of supporting the rights of children and young people to participation and equality of access Every pupil has a right to a curriculum that is broad, balanced and supported by high quality teaching. It is important to raise individual and group achievements, participation and the development of a good sense of identity. Schools have a duty that all pupils have access to curriculum regardless of race, backgrounds, culture, gender or additional needs. Importance and benefits of valuing and promoting cultural diversity in work with children and young people see more:explain how to promote anti-discriminatory practice in work with children and young people It is important to understand the diversity of culture as it helps pupils make more sense of learning by making connections through their own lives. Essentially it is important for the teaching staff to build a relationship and provide necessary support of each individual pupil. By demonstrating that we value culture and support pupils to learn and understand cultures different to their own prevent stereotyping and reduce prejudice and discrimination. Ways in which children and young people can experience prejudice and discrimination Children often experience prejudice and discrimination by staff known as institutional discrimination where policies allow this or individually by other pupils or groups, often through lack of knowledge or assumptions being made about a certain group they belong to. There are two ways in which this can occur either directly (children not allowed access to learning through gender, race, disability etc) or indirectly (excluded due to circumstance e.g. cooking certain foods as they are not allowed to be touched or eaten for religious reasons) Impact of prejudice and discrimination on children and young people The impact of prejudice and discrimination has a tremendous and often negative effect on children. Discrimination can have an affect on them both academically and their health and well being. Children often have feelings of anger or a loss in self esteem and motivation. Children can very often feel disempowered confused or even suffer with depression. Assess how own attitudes, values and behaviour could impact on work with children and young people By assessing your own attitudes taking the time to develop our own understanding of cultures, special needs etc and by learning not to make assumptions of pupils staff can provide effective, appropriate and personal support to any individual child or young person. Importance of promoting anti-discrimination practice in work with children and young people It is not sufficient just to have policies for anti-discrimination. Staff must demonstrate and monitor positive practice. By following and promoting these policies help a child to learn and assess themselves so they to can promote anti discrimination both within the classroom and in society and feel confident to challenge discrimination. Ways staff can promote anti-discrimination: Be a role model Appreciate and promote diversity of children and young people Listen and involve children in activities and hear their concerns Recognise children as centre of learning and treat as individuals Have realistic but high expectations of each child Support positive ethos of school Encourage and build child’s confidence to challenge prejudice or unwanted behaviour Recognise when discrimination is happening Challenging discrimination Challenging discrimination can sometimes be a challenge in itself especially if it is institutional, therefore it must be dealt with accordingly. You must have good knowledge of policies and procedures in the situation you are dealing with Is it intentional? (Direct) unintentional? (Indirect) or just a lack of knowledge? Explain what has happened or said that is discriminatory Tell the person how the other may feel or the effects it may have Suggest improvements to practice  Monitor and report to local education authority What is inclusion and inclusive practice? Inclusion and inclusive practice is the process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers so regardless of a child’s situation they can access and participate in all parts of the curriculum. It is about providing all children the same opportunities by adapting the environment, equipment and curriculum if and where necessary. Features of an inclusive setting for children and young adults For a school to be and inclusive setting it must use a whole school approach. An inclusive school will have the following settings Recognise possible  barriers and understand group or an individuals difficulties in accessing the curriculum Removal of barriers and adapt environment, personalised support, resources or equipment provided Educate along side peers by providing additional support in the classroom instead of segregation Listen and value child’s opinions and views Clear policies and procedures that are reviewed regularly Staff regularly trained in inclusion, diversity and equality methods School works in partnership with staff, governors, parents and their children School works with other services local health boards, speech and language therapists etc How inclusion works in own sector of the children’s workforce Whichever organisation a person is involved with in the children’s workforce the child should be centre of all practice. The early years foundation stage (EYFS) and the national curriculum both give clear guidance on inclusive approaches to learning and assessment. By following these guidelines and adopting systems of personalised learning all children have the same opportunity to high quality teaching, learning experience and access to the curriculum, the chance to progress in curriculum and narrow the gaps of educational achievement. In conjunction to these, schools have a duty and role for promoting well being through inclusive curriculum known as the 2004 every child matters outcomes. Schools may need to work with other services so children can reach full potential and schools must demonstrate they work towards the five outcomes. Be healthy

Adidas Motivation

An employer of choice Rewarding employees Performance-driven remuneration system We are committed to rewarding our employees with compensation and benefit programmes that are competitive in the marketplace. The cornerstone of our rewards programme is our Global Salary Management System which is used as a basis to set the value of employees' positions and salaries in a market-driven and performance-oriented way.In addition to a fixed base salary, we also offer our employees various variable compensation components. Bonus programme: In order to allow our employees to participate in the Group's success and to reward them for their target achievement, we have implemented a global bonus programme under the name ‘aim 2 score'.This programme combines individual performance (measured in the Performance Evaluation and Planning process) and corporate performance (actual financial results measured against Group, brand, channel, division and/or business unit targets). Profit sharing: For e mployees at our Group headquarters and our other locations in Germany who do not participate in the bonus programme, we have introduced a profit sharing programme called ‘Champions Bonus'.Additional compensation components: For senior management and Executive Board members we offer Long-Term Incentive Programmes (LTIP). Other benefits include our 401-K pension plans in the USA and the adidas Group pension plan for our employees in Germany. In 2010, 2,060 employees participated in the latter, which represents 58% of all eligible employees. Other Group subsidiaries also grant a variety of additional benefits to employees depending on locally defined practices and country-specific norms.

International Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

International Human resource management - Essay Example The enterprises that are able to effectively manage the human resources are the ones that are capable of competing well in the dynamic global market. Scholz & Zentes (2009) points out that even with the increased awareness on the global trends, multinationals are still having a lot of problems in expatriation and repatriation processes. This is basically as a result of the fact that the different countries in which such organizations are operating has diverse factors and concerns that determine how effective and profitable a business will be. The factors may be economical, political, social, legal, technological and social. One of the main areas of concern is on the pay and conditions of the employment (Ferner & Quintanilla, 2001). Multinationals rely on two management approaches in the global arena to manage employees. They are the standardization and the adaptation approaches. The multinationals which use the standardized model of operations employ similar strictures for the employee remuneration and conditions of employment in all their areas of operations. The standardized structure is aimed at streamlining all the operations of the business in the various markets and regions where it is operating in. Hilton Hotel is one of the corporations which uses this approach in all its branches worldwide. Ferner & Almond (2004) notes that adaptation, on the other hand, entails restructuring the human resources operations and approaches so that they conform to the prevailing conditions in the market or country where an enterprise is operating in. Such businesses, therefore, consider the various social, political, economic and cultural factors that may affect their human resource operations and integrate them in their operations. Aguilera (2004) adds each of these approaches has its own pros and cons. Despite this being the case, multinationals

Brands that needs to identify the segmentation, targeting, and Essay

Brands that needs to identify the segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategy - Essay Example Kellogg cornflakes are the popular breakfast cereals in Hong Kong which became more familiar with breakfast cereals. In busier lifestyles it makes a good choice for quick and healthy breakfast. In 2013, breakfast cereals were expected to enjoy high growth prospects of 9%. In the year 2012 the growth of industry was down due to economic downturn in the country. The brand Alphen is very popular in Hong Kong for breakfast cereals. The product it deals with was chocolates. It expanded its brands with breakfast cereals like muesli bars and cereals. The brands have created an image on the mind of customers. It also includes improving customer’s perception about the brand and to be informed about the product that are to be launched. The brand also requires a good understanding of competing products and the benefits of targeted market. The products basically target those customers who have busier lifestyles as well as the children. It is a good source of nutrients for both children and adults. The brands have a variety of products for the consumers and they can choose any one of the products. The products are comparatively less costly than Kellogg corn flakes. It has different groups of customers to target (Proctor, 2013 pp. 75-88). This helps to group the customers into segments that have a common need and will response in marketing actions. It offers alternate growth and profit opportunities. The brand focuses on the characteristics such as age group of the customer for making segmentation among the customer group. It has also focused in the customer’s lifestyle and everyday busy schedule which make this brand very popular among them. The brand has different products for different age groups. Kellogg has a very dominating position in breakfast cereals, accounting from 71% to 72% value shares in 2012 and 2013. The company is present in the country with huge variety of products as well as with efficient and distribution network. Consumers can easily find

Understanding Spinal Stenosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Understanding Spinal Stenosis - Essay Example As in this case, initial clinical presentations of some patients are often complicated with several individual factors such as age and physical activity. In fact, signs, and symptoms a headache and dyspnea can be extremely subjective and may significantly vary with each patient judgment. Furthermore, some conditions do not immediately present to instantly warrant a thorough investigation, only manifesting when much damage has already occurred to be clinically evident. Possible aggravation of a previously known condition also contributes to the complexity of the case. As such, arriving at a logical and rational medical diagnosis may at times be challenged with the inconsistencies of observed and reported manifestations by the patient compared with the results of diagnostic and laboratory procedures performed. Â  Even so, appropriate education remains to be one of the most important roles of the nurse in meeting this patient’s physical and psychological needs and prepare her for the foreseen battery of tests necessary to confirm or refute a diagnosis. Maintaining physiological integrity through dependent and independent nursing interventions are necessary for a comprehensive patient care. Besides that, it is also imperative to maintain being an advocate so that the patient is not subjected to unnecessary danger during the performance of these tests (Best, 2002). Â  Although the patient’s manifestations strongly suggest an underlying heart condition, laboratory and diagnostic studies reveal otherwise. Radiographic results indicate dextroscoliosis and degenerative disc disease of the thoracic spine, degenerative bilateral arthritis of acromioclavicular joints, degenerative arthritis of the left glenohumeral joint, a normal heart size, and focal arteriosclerosis of the thoracic aorta.

Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations Essay

Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations - Essay Example enerally, this involves anticipating survey team observations and then proactively showing through patient activities and units of care delivery, a mastery of the essentials which the accreditation team is seeking at Sentara. The planning for accreditation at Sentara is more of an ongoing process in which accreditation, which is as mentioned above, already achieved, is also maintained. The various bodies that have accredited the healthcare system send survey teams from time to time to any one of Sentara’s hospitals and delivery facilities, in order to interview patients and staff, and review documents as well as observing quality of care. â€Å"The team may track a patient through his or her hospital stay--in person and through medical records--to find out how the hospitals systems and processes work in supporting patient care† (Accreditation, 2008). During this process, Sentara has to prepare to be judged directly in terms of what care is given to patients, whether it is quality care, effectively carried out, and performed well to the resulting tendency of improving the quality of life of the patient. In order to prepare for the accreditation and renewal processes (accreditation needs renewed after three years), Sentara concentrates on teamwork, leadership, and communication. The healthcare group is evaluated by survey teams who come through looking at various hospital departments. They work in a group together closely at every step of the process, integrating their respective findings to reach viable conclusions about Sentara’s system-wide performance. â€Å"At the end of the survey, the team scores the hospital on how well it meets the standards in the Accreditation Manual for Hospitals† (Accreditation, 2008), related to scored performance standards that are scaled and measured. the programs and the leader of Sentara makes a formal request for review. Then letters are sent out backing up this request. Then, some time before the review, the office for