When Kind Words Hide Sharp Tongues: My Office Wake-Up Call 😔

Today, something happened that I can't shake off. During a Teams meeting, I was helping my coworker, Mark, who was sharing his screen. Suddenly, his chat window popped up, and I saw messages between him and another colleague mocking my accent and calling my English "broken." I've lived in Chicago for over 20 years and hold a dual master's degree. I know my accent is part of who I am, but seeing those words from someone I thought was a friend stung deeply. Mark is always friendly to my face, which makes this even harder to process. Work is already stressful, and now I feel even more isolated. I'm not sure how to handle this or if I should bring it up. Has anyone else faced something like this? How did you cope? I could really use some advice right now. 😞 #WorkplaceChallenges #OfficePolitics #SeekingAdvice #JobCareer