Humans are inherently social beings. We find comfort in the crowd. We constantly look for similarities that may bond us with a group because we need our own social structure to survive. That is why we have this insatiable need to be like other people. We copy how our peers talk, interact, and the latest gadget they use, etc. It’s all very simple; we all crave the belongingness Maslow talked about years ago. We do not usually want the spotlight that distinguishes us, separates us from the crowd. We want to merge into the wave of people humming the same tune. But this tune goes slightly off-key at times, maybe due to a long-standing habit or a subtle hint of an accent that highlights a person as an outsider.
We do not usually want the spotlight that distinguishes us, separates us from the crowd.
Our mannerisms, way of speaking, habits, and silly nuances usually build the bridge that connects us to our surroundings. People belonging to the same environment often share a common language, spoken with the beauty of the same enunciation. However, when people shift from one environment to another, they dislocate their roots and try to establish connections in another environment. Now, their roots carry their past habits, which correlate to their previous environment. A person who has moved to a different city or country will adapt to the new environment, coping with the changes in their own ways. They will try to imitate the crowd while conserving their own unique identity. Despite speaking the same language and enunciating the words in the same tone, often their roots will glaringly showcase how different they are from their peers. The drop of an accent will speak more of their history than words can; yet this is a double-edged sword. The outsider becomes markedly different, warranting the attention of the spotlight. The issue is, this double-edged sword might often stab them with the discomfort of not belonging to their environment. If the person is young, they might even face unsolicited remarks from their friends about their distinct accent. Young people do not usually accept differences positively; that’s one of the pits our bullying culture rises from. Unfortunately, labelling someone as a “freak” is more interesting to the masses than is respecting the traits that set us apart. In fact, we ourselves want to act like the rest of our community, so we try to shake the accent off like we are trying to escape the chains that bind us to our roots.
However, this is not a one-way road. These accents that we carry with ourselves sometimes express our identity louder than our traits. When I moved to Italy due to a series of tumultuous events that forced me to shift my whole ecosystem to a foreign land, I looked for a clique to flock with. Luckily, I found my group. However, despite our shared interests, we all had our own eccentricities that we proudly flaunted like they were some sort of prized possessions. I wanted them to know about my origin, I wanted to be the flagbearer of my culture. Well, much to my dismay, they often confused my Bengali origin with some other South Asian identities. I have heard “Oh, you must be Indian” more times than I can count. For whatever reason, I wanted to highlight my Bengali identity in neon colors. Having a peculiar accent made me feel like I had my own lightsaber to show off to the crowd. I wanted them to know where I come from, where I belong, and why I have this accent.
They often confused my Bengali origin with some other South Asian identities. I have heard “Oh, you must be Indian” more times than I can count.
These accents that we carry with ourselves sometimes express our identity louder than our traits. It’s ironic how humans have this paradoxical need to belong to the crowd while establishing a distinct identity. Everyone wants to play a character that has a past laced with some interesting personality. It’s not just the urge to establish our distinctions, but also an emotional display of what we left. And what we still carry with ourselves. The person who left their land to live in a developed country will always carry a piece of their country and culture within them. They will cherish that culture while adapting to their new ways. While making connections in a new environment, they would like to keep their accent, like it is some sort of souvenir they brought with them from some time in their past. After all, do we really need to be the same as every crowd that ever existed? Maybe that accent of ours is the spotlight that shines bright, crowning us the main characters of our own shows in this crowded stage that we call life.