Why are non-native speakers so obsessed with RP?

Its as simple as this: Most non-native English speakers come from Commonwealth countries, where English speaking is modelled after the British way. So, its natural that people may want to adopt the British way of speaking (and that means BBC English, RP). But now, I think among younger people, American talk is supposed to be more "cool", so they are veering towards that accent.

American accent is ugly.

Foreign speakers are pretty much unable to tell the difference, from my experience in travels (ohhh, are you from America or England??). So foreigners making the distinction are basing it on stereotypes ... Americans are fat, ugly, and uncultured, and the British are at the height of the empire under Queen Victoria.

<<Foreign speakers are pretty much unable to tell the difference, from my experience in travels (ohhh, are you from America or England??). >>

When I was working in the Netherlands a few decades ago, most natives there guessed that I was from the UK, instead of the US. Some even offered their condolences about me having to live in the UK (IIRC, the UK was having some sort of economic woes at that time). They were surprised to ehar that I was from the US, even though I have a pretty typical US accent. At that time I may have been ugly and uncultured, but I wasn't fat.

"When I was working in the Netherlands a few decades ago, most natives there guessed that I was from the UK, instead of the US. Some even offered their condolences about me having to live in the UK (IIRC, the UK was having some sort of economic woes at that time). They were surprised to ehar that I was from the US, even though I have a pretty typical US accent. At that time I may have been ugly and uncultured, but I wasn't fat."

Nowadays it's hard to believe that someone can become an English speaker without having been exposed to the sound of native English. Maybe twenty years ago but not in the internet age.