Most of us have experienced bullying (欺凌), whether we’ve been bullied ourselves or seen it happen to others. In fact, almost 30 percent of US high school students have been bullied, according to official figures published by the US government.

There are many different kinds of bullying. It could be someone hitting you, someone sending you horrible messages on social media, or someone saying mean things to you. No matter how, being bullied is never a nice experience.

So, how should you deal with it? Well, first it’s important to try and figure out why bullies(欺凌者) are acting the way they are. Sometimes, some people become bullies because they want to feel powerful. And usually, they pick on the nicest or most well-behaved people. They see these people as an easy target as they are less likely to fight back. Sometimes bullies are children who feel ignored at home. These children may attempt to attract the attention from their family. Second, you’d better share your problem with someone else. “All bullying is wrong and it is essential that you talk about the problem with someone you can trust.” UK children’s charity Barnardos wrote on its website. Indeed, talking to your teacher or parents is usually the best way to end your problem. Thirdly, standing up to the person who’s bullying you may change their behavior. Once they know that their bullying doesn’t work on you any more, they’re likely to stop.

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Racial discrimination in science

You might expect that science, particularly American science, would be colour-blind. Once someone from the country’s ethnic minorities has got bench space in a laboratory, he might reasonably expect to be treated on merit (功绩) and nothing else.

Unfortunately, a study published in Science by Donna Ginther of the University of Kansas suggests that is not true. Dr Ginther, who was working on behalf of America’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), looked at the pattern of research grants awarded by the NIH and found that race matters a lot. Moreover, it is not just a question of white supremacy. Asian and Hispanic scientists do just as well as white ones. Black scientists, however, do badly.

One possible explanation is that review panels are inferring applicants’ ethnic origins from their names, or the institutions they attended as students. Consciously or not, the reviewers may then be awarding less merit to those from people with “black-sounding” names, or who were educated at universities whose students are predominantly black.

Another possible explanation is social networking: it is in the nature of groups of experts(such as review panels)to know both each other and each other’s most promising assistants and followers. Applicants outside this charmed circle might have less chance of favourable consideration. If the charmed circle itself were racially unrepresentative, those excluded from the network because their racial group was under-represented in the first place would find it harder to break in.

Though Dr Ginther’s results are troubling, it is to the NIH’s credit that it has published her findings. The agency is also starting a programme intended to alter the composition of the review panels to see whether removing potential racial cues from applications changes outcomes. Other agencies, and not just in America, should pay strict attention to all this, and ask themselves if they, too, are failing people of particular races. Such discrimination is a sheer waste of talent!