History Main / SilentTreatment

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''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.

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* In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', Thor does this briefly when Loki shows up as an [[AstralProjection illusion]] in the gladiator dungeons to talk to him until Loki exasperatedly tells him to say something. The reason for this is that Thor is angry at Loki for having faked his death [[Film/ThorTheDarkWorld four years ago]] and blames him for [[spoiler:their father's death]].

* In ''Manga/KareKano'', 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]].]]

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]].

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Manga/{{Kakegurui}}'' at one point with Yumeko and [[AbhorrentAdmirer Midari]]. After Midari ruins their second gamble together, Yumeko refuses to even acknowledge her existence and ominously asks people why they're talking to themselves when they interact with her.

* In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', Thor does this briefly when Loki shows up as an [[AstralProjection illusion]] in the gladiator dungeons to talk to him until Loki exasperatedly tells him to say something. The reason for this is that Thor is angry at Loki for having faked his death [[Film/ThorTheDarkWorld four years ago]] and blames him for [[spoiler:their father's death]].
* In ''Film/SummerCampNightmare'', acting camp director Franklin Reilly, after the junior counselors took over Camp North Pines, had the campers and other junior counselors give this to Chris Wayne and Heather from Camp South Pines for not going along with the direction of the revolutionists and trying to stand up for the deposed camp director Mr. Warren, who was subsequently murdered.
* Lampshaded in ''Film/KillBill'':
-->'''Ernie:''' White women call this the silent treatment... and we let 'em think we don't like it.
* In ''Film/Mario1984'', Simon spends a few days ignoring Mario after Mario rips down his pictures of Hélène.

* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' series, this is a favorite tactic of both Vernon Dursley and Severus Snape. Harry is quite relieved when Snape uses it against him, as it means that he doesn't have to suffer anything worse. Or at least so he thinks until Malfoy knocks over his potion sample and Snape is all too happy to just leave Malfoy off the hook.
-->'''Snape:''' Whoops. Another zero, then, Potter.

* Described as a form of bullying in one of the stories of the anthology ''[[http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Bully-Seventy-Authors-Stories/dp/006206097X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359948471&sr=1-1&keywords=dear+bully Dear Bully]]'', in which a group of kids at a school subjected a different kid to the silent treatment each week, and each never thought it could never happen to them... until it did.

* In the ''Literature/TheGreatBrain'' series the Fitzgerald family uses this as the ultimate punishment instead of a whipping. The boy who gets the silent treatment wishes he was whipped instead, it's so devastating.

* In ''Literature/PinocchiosSister'', ventriloquist Mr. Rosedale has become completely wrapped up in his dummy Iris, to the point of neglecting his daughter, Martha. After Martha has an outburst at Iris in the park, her father does not speak to her for hours.
* In ''Literature/TheInheritanceCycle'', this is a standard Dwarven punishment to some of the more heinous crimes, and we get to see it happen to Vermund of Durgrimst Az Sweldn rak Anhuin as punishment for the attempted murder of Eragon. Put simply, the dwarves pretend the offending party isn't there at all. He can rant, rave, or in any other way attempt to scream at them, but they will simply act like he doesn't even exist, and quite literally, not even give him the time of day. And when Vermund physically grabs another dwarf, a couple of guards quite calmly wrench him off and toss him away, though the nonchalance of it is described as being no different than the guards helping straighten their protectorate's chain mail. But they don't do this just to Vermund but ''the entire clan'' as punishment for endorsing him, until they change leadership.[[note]]To put it in perspective, imagine if the United States of America just decided to pretend that Texas and everyone in it didn't exist, including not the slightest care for imports and exports, or other such problems. That's basically what the condemnation was for Durgrimst Az Sweldn rak Anhuin.[[/note]]

* Exaggerated in ''Literature/MidnightsChildren'': Salim's grandmother holds a grudge against his grandfather, that she never speaks to him again, for 30 years, until her death.
* In ''[[Literature/TheMysteriousBenedictSociety The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict]]'', after Nicholas Benedict outwits the plans of the GangOfBullies known as the Spiders to initiate him by giving him a {{Swirlie}}, they give him the silent treatment and force all of the other children at the OrphanageOfFear to do so too. After John Cole becomes his friend and defies their ban on talking to him, the silent treatment is extended to him as well.

* ''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.
* 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.
%% * One episode of ''Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll'': Ferguson to Clarissa.

* In ''Series/{{Carrusel}}'', when the kids got sick of [[AlphaBitch Maria]] [[IceQueen Joaquina]]'s bullshit, they invoked the trope on to her for several days -- not even her DoggedNiceGuy Cirilo wanted to talk to her. [[BreakTheHaughty It made her]] [[TearsOfRemorse break down crying.]]

* In the ''25th Anniversary Edition'' of ''VideoGame/NightTrap'', if you fail to save Danny in a DeletedScene, Lt. Simms briefly appears on the top-right corner of the CRT's screen and gives you the silent treatment as punishment by refusing to speak to you (he just has no words to describe your failure in causing the DeathOfAChild) before pulling a quick SCAT System Disconnect on you, resulting in a GameOver. (Probably {{Justified|Trope}}, as the filmmakers probably didn't film any scene where he chides you for failing to save Danny.)
* With the ''Generations'' expansion pack installed, teenage sims in ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' can snub each other, either by player command or automatically, which causes a negative moodlet for the snubbed teen.

* To do this to a celebrity in real-life or on the Internet is to "cancel" them, also known as "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call-out_culture#Cancel_Culture cancel culture]]."

Could lead to TellHimImNotSpeakingToHim. Not to be confused with TheQuietGame. If it's an EdutainmentShow on something like [=PBS=] expect AnAesop that hiding your feelings never solves anything and you need to [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry use your words]] to express how you feel and solve the problem.

* One of the many bullying tactics that Nanako and Mariko from ''Manga/OniisamaE'' go through is this, including an iconic scene where the AlphaBitch and her GirlPosse begin interrupting Nanako when she's reading in class and saying "there's a bug in here!"

* In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', Thor does this briefly when Loki shows up as an [[AstralProjection illusion]] in the gladiator dungeons to talk to him until Loki exasperatedly tells him to say something. The reason for this is that Thor is angry at Loki for having faked his death [[Film/ThorTheDarkWorld four years ago]] and blames him for [[spoiler:the death of their father]].

* In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', Thor does this briefly when Loki shows up as an illusion in the gladiator dungeons to talk to him since he is angry at him for having faked his death [[Film/ThorTheDarkWorld four years ago]] and blames him for the death of their father, until Loki exasperatedly tells him to say something.

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', "The Guitarist Amplification":

* One episode of ''Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll'' had Ferguson doing this to Clarissa.

** Another episode has Dewey doing this to Reese as punishment for Reese bullying him. [[ItMakesSenseInContext Dewey starts acknowledging Reese once they get drugged.]]

* In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', Thor does this briefly when Loki shows up as an illusion in the gladiator dungeons to talk to him, since he is angry at him for having faked his death [[Film/ThorTheDarkWorld four years ago]] and blames him for the death of their father, until Loki exasperatedly tells him to say something.