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?

I'm very much in the camp of 'you've done the hard work and deserve to call yourself Dr'! If I worked in the US I'd be DrLivia, but over here I don't get to ...

You worked hard for it you earned it so why not use it?

You have earned it by your hard work - use it if you want to

I use it sparingly.
Good one to have on your credit card, takes away the credibility if it gets nicked & some 17yo is trying to use it in your stead.

DP and his two best friends have PhDs (they met whilst studying) and they use Dr professionally and on official statements. Friend #1 & I only tend to call the men 'Dr. X' when they're being wankerish a bit smug about something intellectual (or ridiculous, like how to cook pasta in the best manner). It's turned into a shorthand for 'stop yourself before you make us laugh at you'. OTOH Friend #1 has only just finished her PhD so we get a kick out of calling her 'Dr.' to make her smile: it's taken her seven years part-time and a lot of hard work to get there and she fully deserves it :)

DH doesn't use his for anything other than in his professional setting in academia.

In fact, most people refer to him as Mr. Halbanoo---which is amusing considering that I didn't take his last name after marriage. Doesn't bug him at all.

Now 'official statements' sounds wankerish. I meant bank statements.

Large metallic pants and a cape (a silver one obv) sounds special. I'm thinking some kind of clumpy footwear may be just the ticket too.

I have been upgraded after booking as Dr, but I have never been called upon to perform mid-air surgery.

Can anyone put 'Dr' on bank cards etc? Do they ask to see a certificate?!

My bank do ask to see your PhD degree certificate, Calma. My DH had to provide the programme from the degree ceremony too for some reason, but I think that is unorthodox. He clearly wasn't very convincing.

Getting a doctorate is hard work and you have earned the right to use it. But can be pretentious in some cases - I knew a leisure diver who used to mark all his dive equipment with Dr so and so. He was just a bit pretentious. People may treat you differently though if you put Dr and not necessarily in a way you might like.

How is it pretentious??? My DH is a PhD and he worked hard for it... he has as much right (if not more) to use Dr in front of his name as a doctor or a dentist.

My bank never asked me for anything.

Actually having said that he didn't actively change bank details etc... They still say Mr, but things we've set up post-PhD (mortgage etc...) say Dr.

interesting point about plausibility of credit card user, ragged.

Of course it's not pretentious to use your title; I'm with the poster who said that they liked the gender/marital status neutrality of it, for one thing. Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with swanking being proud of the hard work you put into it.

I use Dr when I'm using my maiden name (esp, professionally, where it does actually matter for me) but I do also use my married name (mostly cos I'm too lazy to correct people) and with that I use Mrs.

You have worked hard for it and deserve to use the title.

If you've got it bloody flaunt it! You've worked damn hard to get it why shouldn't you use it.

BTW the airlines would know that you aren't a medical Dr as DH (who is a medical doctor) has medical Dr recorded in his passport.

I use mine on bank accounts, and at work, and if I am talking to wankery types who might be looking down their noses at me for whatever reason.

Having said that, nobody outside of work really knows I have one, I don't flout it.

I do get a kick out of it, and it is bloody hard work, so use it.

Just don't be wankerish when you do, or you'll be letting us all down

We are all doctors in our family and we are all pretentious . We often get asked how to address the envelope, it's Dr and Dr, or Drs... The medics with PhDs could call themselves Dr Dr, as in The Thomson Twins song

Dh already has three degrees, so I can't give him the third degree about anything.

I've got it, and use it. Because:

It is now my actual title.

I've earnt it (as opposed to it being the 'honorary' title that medics get - not dissing what they do, they work bloody hard and deserve respect for doing a difficult and important job, but they have to get an MD to get the equivalent which is a lot more work than the MBChB)

I only use one name. No alternative surnames, no home/work versions, no different titles: just the one. (This has the pleasing side effect that I can easily weed out cold-callers and junk mail)

And anyway how many times do you find yourself giving out your full name, title and all? Less than you'd think, really, so using it isn't quite as awkward as you'd think.

What was wankerish was my friends dad parking in the doctors only spaces at the hospital on the basis of his doctorate in philosophy or something.

My parents think it pretentious but they are medical docs so I suspect there is something going on there

When my ex got his PHD he made me call him Doctor in bed :)

This thread has made me want a doctorate now and I'm not even sure how you get one