DEAR ABBY: I'm from the South and have an accent, although not a strong one. I was around some people from the North who made fun of my accent, which I did not find funny. I finally asked them to please stop, and the response was, "We just love to hear you talk!" How do I handle people who make fun of me? -- NOT FUNNY IN SOUTH CAROLINA
DEAR NOT FUNNY: Ridiculing others isn't funny; it's rude. The way to handle people like this is to avoid them.