Academics using 'Dr' - wankerish?

[RevoltingPeasant]

On the day I got my PhD, the first thing my mum said to me when I rang to say I'd passed was, 'Oh, I do hope you won't call yourself Dr, it's so pretentious...

...and congratulations!'

Anywho, I never get called Dr except on my office door and in rejection letters from journals. But I think most academics do use it in civilian life. I kinda want to. Does this make me a smug git, especially because my subject specialism is in something entirely useless to humanity literature?

Out of interest my dad is Captain technically, but doesn't use it other than work. Would it be twattish for him to use it in every day life?

Only if your surname is Birdseye, Ninky

Ninky - No... but it would have to be used in this way:
"I'm Captain NinkyNonker, but everyone calls me Cappy."

Cap'n is a rank, not a title?

NinkyNonker, the answer depends on whether he will give all the Drs invitations to his table.

Ooh interesting LineRunner

When he takes off that peaked cap and steps away from the breaded fish, he's just a Mr. like all the other landlubbers - surely not? I thought all the Commanders and Captains etc. all used them as titles.

yes ALL of them - I needed to say that TWICE

Technically a rank, but he isn't in the services, he is merchant fleet.

If you want seats at the Capt's table it is my baby sister you need, she's the cruise ship officer in the family!

Damn my phone, instead of line returns I am getting posts! Anyway, he gets lots of mail to Captain etc etc...but he calls himself Mr. Just wondered because of the parallels.

Hmm, baby sister, interesting. Is she a Ms, a Mrs., or a Miss? For we must determine whether or not she is a WANKER, you see...and this is the fairest way to do it.

Mr. Just?

Is he particularly even-handed in his treatment of the crew? Hope so.

She is definitely a Ms!

Well perhaps we should ALL call ourselves Dr regardless of any qualifications or lack of for the key reasone that it doesn't tell anything about your sex or marital status

What about police officers? It's the same for naval officers, is it not? i.e. it's a rank not a title. (Although I'm not saying 'Officer Dibble' doesn't have certain style to it.)

To ask it a different way, what titles are you allowed in your passport or on your cheque book?

I think we should ALL call ourselves Cappy.

Ahhh EFA at last, you out yourself as the craven wannabe hinted at last night. Why stop there? Call yourself Wing Commander Fatty Acid. You could change your name by deed poll.

Actually scratch that - I don't think you can - when I was looking into deed poll stuff they were quite clear that you can't change your name in order to pretend to be something you are not... I think the example they used was Elton John

Change your name to anything you like, APART from Elton John - that's not allowed.

Shouty

I didn't mean that PhD dr's would pretend to be medical- just that non- medical crazy people might pretend. Sounds insane but it can and does happen. Someone suggested that medical dr's drop 'Dr' as we are not 'real' doctors ( can't remember if it was you or not)

Incidentally a few people are talking about who is a real doctor vs medical. I think if you asked the average person 'what does a doctor do?' they would answer 'treat patients' etc rather than writes interesting scientific/ historic/ or whatever papers. That's not to say one is more or less worthy than the other, just that this what public perception of what it means when someone is called Dr.

I AM a doctor as it's what I DO regardless of any technical historical reasons that would state otherwise. I would rather be defined by my actions rather than actual qualifications.

No titles on passports I thought.

Thought you get on your cheque book whatever title your bank account is in, and they make you have a title.

I feel a name change coming on.

As far as I understand when you retire from the services you can take your rank with you as a title, you just drop a rank. So my friend who is Commander now would have been one up when in service...I think. Just wondering how wankerish that was!

There's a question on the electoral roll form about whether you are a peer of the realm. Truly.

There's a question on the electoral roll form about whether you are a peer of the realm. Truly.

I'm totally a peer of the realm. Anybody who is anybody is.

Yo