History Main / SilentTreatment

* ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'': "Coventry," an episode from Season 7 (the first season with hour-long episodes) features an extreme case of this. Here, a land speculator is acquitted in the murder of a feed store operator who had threatened to expose his criminal business practices. [[note]](The judge, despite having a sense that the swindler was guilty, was forced to admit he had only circumstantial evidence and hearsay and was forced to find him not guilty.)[[/note]] In the aftermath, the non-repentant speculator tries to resume his business activities but finds it impossible to do so when virtually everyone in town will not only not speak to him but they literally consider him an {{Unperson}}. He can't even be served at Miss Kitty's Saloon or get service at the doctor's office. Eventually, he is forced out of town, where he eventually meets his death.

* ''[[Fanfic/ThinkBeforeYouSpeakMHA Words May Hurt]]'': Katsuki believed that he'd be much happier if all the "useless extras and [=NPCs=]" around him just left him alone, especially if Izuku stopped trying to act like [[WeUsedToBeFriends they were still friends]]. After he [[ForWantOfANail seriously injures Tenya]] during the Heroes vs. Villains exercise, the rest of Class 1-A want nothing to do with him, ignoring his existence... and leaving him to realize that being left alone isn't much fun when you don't have any ''choice'' in the matter.

Could lead to TellHimImNotSpeakingToHim. Not to be confused with TheQuietGame. If it's an EdutainmentShow on something like [=PBS=], expect [[AnAesop an aesop]] about how hiding your feelings never solves anything and you need to [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry use your words]] to address and solve the problem. In some situations, the silent treatment can be depicted as a cowardly option; as you are not addressing the problem or actually establishing boundaries with someone, you are actually relying on them to be [[ObliviouslyEvil fully aware]] of their [[InnocentlyInsensitive own actions]]. Compare ICantHearYou. Overlaps with ThreateningToCutTies if a person threatens to do this to someone.

Could lead to TellHimImNotSpeakingToHim. Not to be confused with TheQuietGame. If it's an EdutainmentShow on something like [=PBS=], expect [[AnAesop an aesop]] about how hiding your feelings never solves anything and you need to [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry use your words]] to address and solve the problem. In some situations, the silent treatment can be depicted as a cowardly option; as you are not addressing the problem or actually establishing boundaries with someone, you are actually relying on them to be [[ObliviouslyEvil fully aware]] of their [[InnocentlyInsensitive own actions]]. Compare ICantHearYou.

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

* On ''Series/{{Banshee}}'' Kai Proctor is a crime kingpin who comes from a traditional Amish family. Because of his criminal lifestyle, the entire Amish community is shunning him. When he tries to talk to his father, Proctor Sr. does not even acknowledge that Kai is there.
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', "The Guitarist Amplification": Sheldon doesn't speak to his roommate Leonard.

* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967''. In "A Change of Mind" this is one of the tactics used against Number Six in an attempt to make him conform. He's declared "Unmutual" and the other residents refuse to speak to him.

* ''Series/{{The Sandman|2022}}'', "[[Recap/TheSandman2022S01E01SleepOfTheJust Sleep of the Just]]": Sorcerer Roderick Burgess captures one of the Endless, beings said to be AboveTheGods, and keeps him prisoner for decades while trying to persuade him to give Burgess power and riches. Throughout his imprisonment, the captive demonstrates his disapproval by never speaking a word, and barely even making enough eye contact to acknowledge that he can see and hear his captors.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "To See the Invisible Man", Mitchell Chaplin is convicted of the crime of coldness towards others and is sentenced to a year of invisibility. He is forced to wear an implant on his forehead that alerts people that they are to ignore him and pretend not to see him no matter what. If they engage with him in any way, they are violating Citizen's Law 24824 which carries the penalty of at least one year of invisibility. Invisible people who speak to each other have another year added to their sentences.

* Lampshaded in ''Film/KillBill'':

While this may seem like a relief in some cases, this can be a very effective form of punishment and social isolation, especially if several people gang up on the silent treatment. A common variation is that the person being subjected to the silent treatment is relieved that they no longer have to hear the other person speak, until they realize [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor the full implications of a person not talking to them]].

* In ''Manga/HisAndHerCircumstances'', Yukino's classmates use it against her after she's revealed to not be TheAce. The ringleader is Maho, the local AlphaBitch. [[spoiler:Ironically, Maho is later [[HoistByHisOwnPetard at the receiving end too]].]]

* Discussed and subverted in ''Fanfic/BlackbirdArrow''. Most people think that Laurel [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere simply left Starling City and didn't look back]]. Oliver however notes that she ''isn't'' one to use the silent treatment. She's confrontational, and would return just to tell him and how much he hurt her and that she never wants to see him again. He rightly concludes that she was actually kidnapped.
* ''[[Fanfic/CONSEQUENCESMiraculousLadybug CONSEQUENCES]]'': In ''EXPOSED'', Lila attempts to expose Marinette's SecretIdentity as Ladybug to the world. While the rest of the class isn't aware of the truth, they think instead that Lila was attempting to trick Hawk Moth into targeting Marinette, and punish her by collectively ignoring her. Since Lila ''craves'' {{attention|Whore}}, getting ignored by people who were formerly taken in by her lies and fawning all over her drives Lila ''insane''.
* In ''Fanfic/CravingTheSky'', Weiss's older sister Winter blackmails their parents, threatening to reveal that Weiss is a [[FantasticRacism faunus]] if Jacques breaks his word to their late grandfather and removes Weiss's wings before she turns eighteen. While Winter is trying to protect her, Weiss has been raised to despise herself for being a faunus, and thusly hates Winter for preventing them from removing the evidence. As a result, she spends several years refusing to talk to Winter at all.

** In the remastered version, Kyril is briefly given this treatment from Alicia and her knights due to their disapproval of the Hunter being in close proximity to Prim. He finds it a tad awkward, but is otherwise fine with that.

* In Thomas Costain's novel ''Literature/TheBlackRose'', Walter's grandfather has made an oath never to speak to him; he now regrets it, but [[IGaveMyWord he gave his word]]. Near the end of the novel, after Walter's successful adventures in the Orient, his grandfather accidentally addresses Walter directly three times, and decides he can consider the oath permanently broken.

* In ''Literature/AFeastForCrows'', Doran Martell orders the servants bringing food, water and clean clothing to [[GirlInTheTower his imprisoned daughter]] not to speak to her in order to break her psychologically; eventually this works.

* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': In “That Creeping Feeling”, the majority of the staff refuse to speak to Brittas after he obtains their personal fitness targets through ... privacy violating ways. They eventually start talking to him again after Brittas sucks the poison out of a spider inflicted wound in an ... awkward area of Colin.

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': When Mac develops speech aphasia[[note]]It's a real condition wherein one forgets the names of everyday objects, colors, etc. and can be either temporary or permanent. Mac's lasted 8 months.[[/note]] while recovering from being shot in the back and flatlining during surgery, Christine gets miffed with him for not letting her know what's wrong. She confronts him in his office, a co-worker interrupts them, and he dismisses her. She ignores him for the rest of the episode, and refuses to answer or return his calls for the entire next one and part of the one after that. He finally visits her at her restaurant, gives in and tells her about his condition. She says she's got to decide if she can live with his pride so he leaves. The next day she shows back up at his office, having forgiven him.

* In an episode of ''Series/FullHouse'', D.J. goes into silent disapproval when she catches Danny, Jesse and Joey spying on her while on a date. When D.J. obeys their pleas to talk with them and viciously rips into them for their actions, Jesse remarks that they were probably better off with the silent treatment.
* ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'': "Coventry," an episode from Season 7 (the first season with hour-long episodes) features an extreme case of this. Here, a land speculator is acquitted in the murder of a feed store operator who had threatened to expose his criminal business practices. [[note]](The judge, despite having a sense that the swindler was guilty, was forced to admit he had only circumstantial evidence and heresay and was forced to find him not guilty.)[[/note]] In the aftermath, the non-repentant speculator tries to resume his business activities but finds it impossible to do so when virtually everyone in town will not only not speak to him but they literally consider him an {{Unperson}}. He can't even be served at Miss Kitty's Saloon or get service at the doctor's office. Eventually, he is forced out of town, where he eventually meets his death.

* Elika gives the Prince the silent treatment for most of the "Epilogue" add-on to ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'', after he [[spoiler:releases Ahriman all over again by bringing her back to life]].

** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': Kyoko gives Makoto silence for a while after he chose to withheld information on who TheMole is, but later understands that he had his reasons for not wanting to cast doubt.

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

** In "So Funny I Forgot to Laugh", Arthur compares Sue Ellen to a sheepdog because of her sweater, but this offends her. He tries to apologise, but gets overly defensive, accusing her of overreacting. This causes Arthur's friends to be mad at him, accusing the apology of [[BackhandedApology not being "real"]], and they refuse to speak to him.

** A similar scenario happens with Steven and Connie for a few weeks during season 5's post-Homeworld arc, and it's bad enough that it takes a party hosted by their shared nemesis Kevin to get them to make up. [[spoiler:Connie's silent treatment towards Steven was actually unintentional as she tells Steven that she wasn't actually trying to ignore him and after struggling with trying to figure out how to answer him thought it would be better if they talked about things in person. But by the time she rode Lion to Steven's house, she found that he was on vacation. For unknown reasons that are never touched on in the episode, she didn't attempt to try to visit him again or give him any indication that she was ready to talk afterwards, which made their reconciliation much more awkward when it happened. It's speculated that that she always intended to try again, but real-life events (school, family matters, etc) as well as her fears of what Steven would think of her for shutting him out for so long (especially after she got an ExpositoryHairstyleChange in the interim, which in normal circumstances would signify that the subject of such has moved on after a breakup, which is what Steven thought of her upon first seeing her at the party) got in the way. In any case, Connie apparently didn't have another chance to see Steven until learning about Kevin's party and deciding to attend in the hope of finally reuniting and talking things out with him. Steven apologizes to Connie for breaking their promise to always be a team, and they both make up.]] [[spoiler:Lion also gives Steven the Silent Treatment since he was also angry at him for brushing off Connie's and everyone else's feelings on his surrender to Homeworld to avoid facing his own, and decides to stay with Connie for a few weeks (over five episodes) to teach him a hard lesson and give her comfort and companionship during that time, until Steven and Connie's reconciliation in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E10KevinParty "Kevin Party"]].]]

* Sometimes done in an attempt to train dogs not to do things. The theory is that if you actively discipline a dog for doing something, [[{{Unishment}} they might like it because it's "attention"]], but if you not talk to them, they'll perceive that as a punishment.
* In 19th century British upper-class culture this was known as "The Cut." Different variations of it had their own names; e.g. the "cut direct" was looking straight at someone while refusing to acknowledge their presence, while the "cut indirect" was pointedly looking away from them.