Something to gripe about

There is something that really ticks me off....and let me share it with you.

On more 10 different occasions within the past 8 months, I have had Spaniards tell me that they don't like my American accent (when speaking English....compared to the British accent). Some say "the British accent is smoother. The American accent seems like you have a mouthful of potatoes". I had one person last week say "my brother-in-law HATES the american accent. In fact, he would be laughing in your face right now if he was here." What am I supposed to say to that? Um, SORRY that this is the way I speak? Do they want me to fake a British accent just so they can be pleased? I mean, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?????
I find comments like this to be incredibly rude and unnecessary. In my opinion you should never make someone feel bad about something that they can't control- whether it be your accent, nationality, sexual orientation, mother tongue, etc. Look, I agree. I think the British accent is much cooler. I love it in fact. But just because I speak a different way doesn't mean my English is inferior. I even try my best to omit "like, like" from my speech- an aspect of American english that I do not like at all. But still, there are people who frown upon the American accent and covet the British accent. I understand that the British accent may be a bit more pleasing to the ear, but think about how many people live in England and how many people live in the US. Wouldn't American English be more coveted based on sheer numbers of speakers?
That being said, for every person that offends me by knockin' my American accent, there are plenty of others who appreciate it. Many people say that they can understand my accent better....and in actuality there are many more similarities between American English words and Spanish (Iberian) words. So that is comforting to me.

On a related note, I once met a Portuguese woman in a pub here in Seville. She asked where I was from, and when I said "USA" she rolled her eyes and said, "oh. I don't like Americans." And do you know what I said? I said, "You know what? I hate when people say that. Why don't you just forget my nationality for a second and talk to me and if after 5 minutes you still don't like me, then fine, I accept that. But don't automatically dislike me because of my homeland and your perception of my government. Be a little more open-minded!" That sure shut her up!:)
I'm not trying to scare any of you out there who worry about dealing with anti-americanism while traveling or living abroad. True, it does exist. And if you are American and live here for more than a few months, you will be confronted with it at least once, usually by some stupid drunk person. But the thing to remember is that the people that say and think those things are closed-minded and don't know what they are talking about. They are most likely people that have never left their country, let alone their hometown, and have a very distorted perspective on foreign cultures. Truely smart and open people may not like your government or your president, but they have intelligence to differeniate between you and the government.
In the end I am glad that I have had these encounters, because they really give you perspective on prejudice and they remind you that we can all be vulnerable to it. It has made me much more sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc. Prejudice breeds hate, and that is the cause of all the problems in our world today. Think about that before you pass judgement on someone just because they are different than you......