著名歌曲作家蘭迪-紐曼曾說過，"小個子的男人沒理由活在世上。他們的手和眼睛都小小的，卻還四處傳播彌天大謊。"雖然這樣說很不禮貌，但他的話比你能想到的還準確。 SONGWRITER Randy Newman once said: "Short people got no reason to live. They got little hands, little eyes. They walk around tellin` great big lies." Not the friendliest thing to say, but more accurate than you might think.

    上周，普林斯頓的學者們研究發現，比起高個子群體，矮個子們對自己的生活更加不滿。而且，他們更容易產生消極情緒。在受訪的45萬人中，那些對現實生活最不滿的人一般來說要比平均身高矮2厘米。 Researchers at Princeton University last week found that shorter people are less happy with their lives than taller people, and more prone to negative emotions. Of 450,000 people interviewed, those that rated their lives the "worst possible" were generally 2cm below average height.

    對于這個結果，美國矮人協會（NOSSA）副主席Christopher Hamre一點兒也不驚訝。Hamre說："記得1997年某一天，我走在拉斯韋加斯的一條小路上，一輛卡車從我身旁經過。車上的一個男人沖我喊道： '嘿！侏儒！侏儒！我最討厭你們這樣的人，你知道嗎？'他喊得很大聲，路上每個人都聽到了。兩名途經的年輕女子聽到后還跟著笑了起來。" This doesn`t surprise Christopher Hamre, vice-president of the National Organisation of Short Statured Adults （NOSSA）. "Back in 1997, I was walking down the Las Vegas strip," says Hamre, "A truck drove by and a man yelled at me, saying: `Hey midget! Midget! I hate people like you, do you know that?` He was loud and everyone on the strip heard him, including the two young ladies who passed by and laughed."

    據NOSSA表示，這種對小個子的偏見--身高歧視，是全世界最不常公開報道的社會現象之一。肥胖已流于平常。而矮小則成了新禁忌。 According to NOSSA, prejudice against short people, or "heightism", is one of the world`s most under-reported social phenomena. Fat is mainstream. Short is the new taboo.

    在這方面，科學技術也幫不上忙。荷蘭格羅寧根大學的一項調查研究發現，高個子男人在追求異性和打斗中更容易獲勝。而另一項研究發現，身高在183CM以上（包括183）的男人比在165CM以下（包括165）者更容易成家或擁有長期戀情。此外，身高的優勢還發生在選舉中。一項對1904-1994年間美國總統選舉的調查研究發現，80%情況下是高個子候選人獲勝。 Science doesn`t help matters. A study at the University of Groningen found that taller men had more success with the opposite sex and were more likely to win fights. Another study found that men who are 183cm tall or above are 50 percent more likely to be married or in a long-term relationship than men under 165cm or below. Height also helps you win votes. A study of US presidential elections between 1904 and 1994 found that, 80 percent of the time the taller candidate won.

    想到這，矮個子名人的苦楚是可想而知的。上周，法國總統薩科奇（168CM）被指在視察一工廠時，特意挑選矮個工人作陪襯，以使自己上鏡時顯得高大一些。 It`s tough being a short celebrity. Last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy （168cm） was accused of arranging workers at a factory visit so that he could appear taller in photographs.

    同樣，著名男影星湯姆-克魯斯也因173CM的身高而屢遭嘲笑。當年，他與身高179CM的凱蒂-霍爾姆斯結婚時，就有人猜測他們是如何在結婚照上看起來身高相等的。克魯斯還曾被指出帶有"拿破侖情結"（拿破侖的身高是170cm）.這種自卑情結讓矮個子男人過分激進，欲蓋彌彰。 Similarly, Tom Cruise is ridiculed for his height （173cm）. When he married Katy Holmes （179 cm）, there was speculation over how they were the same height in the wedding photos. Cruise was accused of a "Napoleon Complex" （named after the emperor who was 170cm）. That`s an inferiority complex where short men overcompensate by being aggressive.

    男人想要長高的壓力就和人們遵循"瘦即是美"的信念一樣。為了符合這些不切實際的標準，人們幾乎要為之瘋狂。 Pressure for men to be tall is on a level with the "thin is beautiful" mantra. And, people are going to drastic lengths to conform to unrealistic standards.

    與此同時，Hamre將繼續努力讓人們正視這個問題。"我認為，身高歧視還沒有得到社會的高度關注。如果你矮，人們總指望你能長高，當遭遇不公平對待時，他們也覺得你理應保持沉默。" Meanwhile, Hamre will continue fighting for awareness. "I do not think that heightism is taken seriously by society. If you are short, you are the one that is supposed to change and, when treated unfairly, you`re supposed to remain silent.