Asian Potatoes

I really do not know what is with Asian youths who put on a FAKE Western-speaking accent. Ever so often on my train rides to work, I will come across a handful of such people (girls, especially), who are so oblivious that others can spot that it is a fake accent. I know that some of the Western accents can be quite unique but seriously... "YOUR ACCENT COME FROM WHERE?" 

Sure, most of them will ARGUE that it is because they have been studying abroad and exposed to a foreign culture and blah blah blah!   I worked in Hong Kong for well over two year and I did not come back speaking English with a Hong Kong accent. Although I do know how to fake it.   And it is not the only accent I know how to IMITATE. 

My point is, accents do not just "develop" over time. You would actually CONCIOUSLY need to make an effort to observe and to replicate. So to say it is natural, that is bullshit. Thus I say, it is a "put on". And for what purpose? God knows. Are you so ashamed of where your roots really are? Do you seriously think it puts you in a better social level?  The only thing it really achieves is that you stick out like an ugly sore thumb because everyone else knows you are just faking it. And it is bloody irritating, ok? It is like you are yellow and yet from another freaking planet. Hey, if you are Asian but born and raised in foreign country, that I can understand. Otherwise, who are you trying to impress?   It is not even close to being "cool".

I have tons of friends who have studied or worked in Australia, Canada, Dubai, England, States, Japan, China and even Russia. NONE of them returned with an accent. Sure they make have picked up the local language or slang, but not the accent.

Apparently, I am not the only one that finds it irritating.

One of my ex-classmate said to her daughter who was heading for further studies in Australia, "if you come back from Melbourne with an Aussie accent, I'll either slap the accent out of you or send you to Mumbai for 3 years."