Why do people care so much about Accents?

Hey everyone,

I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind. So, I speak English as my second language, and honestly, I’m proud of how far I’ve come. But sometimes, people, especially white people, feel the need to comment on my accent, and not in a nice way. They say stuff like “Your accent is so bad” or “You sound weird.”

I don’t get it. An accent just means I know more than one language, right? But they act like it’s something to be ashamed of. It makes me wonder, is it just ignorance or maybe something deeper, like racism?

If you’ve been through this, how do you deal with it? Do you say something back, or just ignore it? And for native English speakers, why do accents bother some people so much? I’d really like to hear your thoughts.

Let’s talk.