在美国,要特别注意行为举止是否有“歧视discrimination”或“骚扰harassment”他人之嫌,这里的歧视不仅仅是种族歧视,还有体征歧视丶阶级歧视丶性别歧视等等。如,“差生”不要用“academically and morally poor student ;”,有智力歧视之嫌,而应是“weak students”;如果指邻居素质不高,鱼龙混杂,不要用bad neighborhood,有阶级歧视之嫌,应是tough neighborhood同样,对于穷人,不能直接用poor people而是the people living under welfare.