Time and time again, we see Asian-American students quietly but surely surpass their peers with their quiet, studious, high test scores. What do these students have that differentiates them from their peers? Keith Osajima, professor of racial and ethnic studies at the University of Redlands, delves into this topic in “Internalized Oppression and the Culture of Silence: Rethinking the Stereotype of the Quiet Asian-American Student.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In this article, Keith Osajima examines why so many Asian-American students avoid participating in class, which he also calls non-situational assertiveness. He has three theories as to why students are so silent: the first is what he calls traditional Asian cultural values, the second is simply that English is not an Asian student's native language, and the third is called "internalized oppression" , which is the focus of this article. Simply put, internalized oppression occurs when an oppressed group comes to accept stereotypes about itself and ultimately mirrors the identity given to it by the dominant group. Take for example the stereotype that Asians are good at math. In America, this is both a stereotype and an identity given to the oppressed group (Asians) by the dominant group (whites). An Asian student will respond to this stereotype by working to respect it and not disappoint everyone else because he believes that being good at math is an integral part of his identity. Even though this stereotype is tied to the Asian American student being good at something, many of these students who are simply average in math are considered less competent simply because of this stereotype. This is a perfect example of internalized oppression because no one pushes the student to reinforce these stereotypes except themselves. With the previous example, we can see how Asian American students' behaviors are often manifestations of internalized oppression as students and as racial minorities. As students, Asians must participate in an oppressively structured education system. This system is also known as the “'banking system' of education” (Osajima, 154). Teachers are seen as distributors of knowledge and students are simply passive receptors of this knowledge. With this, a student does not need to think critically or ask questions, they just need to sit and absorb whatever knowledge the teacher provides. In this system, “a 'good student' is quiet, obedient, unconditional, prompt and attentive. They do well on teacher-designed tests. They can give the 'right' answer” (Osajima, 154). For many Asian students who want to do well in school, this message becomes a "natural, internalized indicator of our self-worth" and "creates an enormous drive to adhere to the image of a 'good' student" (Osajima, 154). . By adhering to this image of the good student, Asian students simply perpetuate the stereotype that they are quiet, studious, and achieve high scores. The way Asians as a minority have fought racial oppression is very similar to the way they approached schooling. As a minority, Asians remained silent and conformed to draw attention to themselves and worked hard to gain social and economic mobility so they could leave their racist environments and gain status. As time went on, many others noticed this path many Asian-Americans follow and described it as another.