Can you call it racism?

Technically, I don't think you can apply the term "racism" to any racial prejudices that white people may feel at the hand of another race. However, for nearly the first time in my life, I've started to experience prejudice against me on account of my race (and being a foreigner and not speaking Korean). For instance, many foreign teachers, myself included, have had a hell of a time trying to buy cellphones. Every cellphone shop is run differently, so there aren't company-wide rules that apply everywhere so one cellphone shop will tell you that foreigners cannot get pay-as-you-go plans and others will say that we can't get contracts. When I went on a 3-hour long outing to get a cellphone, you would not have believed the double-standards that applied to me because I am not Korean. For instance, one shop said I could have this particular plan but that I would have to pay an addition $100 for the phone "because I am a foreigner". On-the-fly rules like this are an everyday occurance. Sometimes it is very very difficult to get a taxi to stop for you. If it's dark, they may slow down until they realize you're white, then keep on going, this is usually accompanied by a "friendly" wave. Even the screening process to become a teacher in Korea holds different standards for their foreign teachers than it does for its Korean teachers. When we arrive, we have to have have a drug and HIV test which Koreans are not subject to. If you test positive, your visa is revoked and you must leave. But only if you are foreign. It's not that I think that teachers shouldn't have drug tests, but why only the foreign ones?

I think white males are worse off than females because Koreans seem to have this idea that foreign teachers (especially Canadians) have poor sexual mores and are pedophiles. One male, Canadian teacher that I know was sat down recently (and he's been here for a year already) and made to watch a anime film about not touching female students. He then had to sign a form saying he had his "Korean sexual more education". To be fair, there was a Canadian teacher caught last year of pedophelia in Korea, but I would venture to guess that many more Korean teachers are involved in illegal sexual acts with students than foreigners. It's certainly not foreign teachers rubbing their students' behinds, telling them that they love them, blowing kisses, and getting massages (which are all things that my English teacher friends have seen). It's just covered up to save face when it's a Korean at fault.

The more I think about this behaviour, the more I realize that it's not unique to Korea (who are, somewhat ironically, stereotyped as being racists). I don't think you could get away with giving teachers mandatory HIV tests with thier jobs at risk, but indivudals in Canada are just as racist as they are here. It's certainly a popular belief that middle easterns are smelly and dirty, or that black people are dangerous (not that I think this but I know too many people who do).

I guess your awareness of your own stereotyping increases when you're suddenly a second class citizen because you're not the right colour.