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?

If I ever do a PhD I will use Dr. to avoid the whole Miss/Ms/Mrs debacle.

(Ideologically I prefer Ms but call myself Miss to avoid having to say the word Muzz/Mizz out loud - have no idea how you're meant to say it!)

I am surprised to hear that by using your titles you seem to be treated more reverentially by certain groups - banks, restaurants, airlines etc. I am not criticizing those who wish to utilize their titles by the way, just find it a bit strange that you would be treated differently to mr or mrs joe bloggs.

Calm its true, being out with a Dr is a much more pleasant experience than being out as a plain old Miss, sad but true!

Go ahead and use it. As has been said, it's no more pretentious than using any other title, be that Mr, Ms or whatever. Now if you insisted in every situation being referred to as 'Dr RevoltingPeasant' instead of your first name, that's different. But in any situation where a title is used, why not use the one you have actually earned?

ghislaine at the midwife.

gasman - really?? That must be a case of cultural difference (I hope. Else your colleague is a prize knob ).

DH uses it where a title is required (on credit cards and such) and at work (he is a teacher at an independent school where lots of the teachers are PhDs and it's the norm for them to be called Dr by students). He doesn't care that much though. Once at a school function someone put Mr on his name badge and came over later with a sincere apology. He replied "The day I care about that is the day I become a total wanker!"

i don't think it's any more pretentious that using Mrs.. if it's totally irrelevant in most circumstances that i wrote a three year research project that contributed new knowledge to mankind then i'm bloody sure it's totally irrelevant that i've managed to get a man to say i do in the registery office

I say use it and go for it, anyone who has achieved a PhD has worked hard enough for it!

Personally, I think we should take the German approach and use all the titles we can muster - my favourite ever was a letter addressed to me as Frau Doctor Economist Takver (despite the fact that I don't have a PhD at all).

Don't think it's pretentious at all. As a bit of a flip to some of the other posts, I used to work in a business where quite a high proportion of staff had PhDs but wanted to hide it as they thought they'd be viewed as unworldly and lacking in commercial acumen. They were only comfortable with "Dr" outside work!

"Is it Mrs, Miss...?"
"Dr."
Personally, I love being able to have a title that doesn't convey my marital status (and not always have to correct people to Ms). I really don't understand what's pretentious about using my title. It's my title! Just like Mr, and just like Mrs (cringe). I prefer people to call me by my first name, but Dr's fine too when it comes to saying what my title is.

I have to say - I do think it is highly pretentious.

I work with a woman who insists on calling herself Dr 'Bloggs'. Granted, she is an absolute bitch of the highest order, but her insistence on being addressed as 'Dr' gives me one more reason to dislike her. I always feel like saying 'Doctor of what?' just so she is forced to dwell on the fact that she probably took 10 years to do a crappy PHD and can't actually save lives.

It is pretentious.
I work in a formal environment, and have to call people "Mr Doherty" - it really pisses me off when someone says actually it's Dr, who gives a toss?

Well that's very respectful Peter!

i used to work with a Dr Lazarus.....and he was a medical doctor....used to make me titter.

all patients had faith in him.....

If you say "Miss" to me and I say "actually it's Dr" that's no more wankerish than if you call me "Susan" and I say "actually it's Suzanne".

no, what is wankerish is my fil who is a fairly successful business man and who was given an honorary doctorate by a local uni in recognition of this. He now signs all correspondence Dr, including arsey letters to the council about his planning applications. Makes me want to scream "It's no a real Phd"!!!!!!

And incidentally with regard to the 'saving lives' comment...
Someone can correct ms if I'm wrong but the title of Dr when used by doctors and dentists is essentially honorary a true Dr has a doctorate.

Now I'm not knocking doctors and dentists before I get lynched... I know many medical doctors who also have PhDs.

It is completely different I think.

Or perhaps for some people it is just more of an identity thing than others.

Most academic doctors I know only use their title in a professional setting, I thought that was the norm.

congratulations. And be proud of it.

It's quite hard to only use a title in a professional setting though ... how many times do you get asked for ID with the right title, etc? I didn't realize this was an issue but I know someone who got turned away from the hotel she booked because the title of her booking was under Dr and her card had Ms. How crap is that? Being cynical, I did wonder if they'd have been so arsey about it had she been a man Dr.

Many people use their title at work because it is expected.My friend's son is a scientist and everyone where he works who has a PhD is Dr. Likewise at DS' former school. I suppose it shows that teachers have expertise in their subject. It also impresses some parents.
I know a married couple who both have PhDs and he is Dr, she isn't. Down to personal choice.

Calling yourself dr is about announcing that your are special and better and that you expect other people to acknowledge this special fact!! So yougot a phd, that's lovely but it doesn't impress me any more than the fact that you were once runner up at a jam making contest. Get over yourselves drs. I'm sure it's a significant personal achievement but to the rest of us it's somthing we don't need or want to know about.

you earned it, you get to use it

Yes, that makes sense EFA. In fact, it'd probably be better none of us ever admitted to any expertise, wouldn't it? I do shudder with disgust when my plumber tells me he's capable of fixing my sink, or when the guy in PC work lets on he's actually able to sort out my computer.

I take it EFA, that you never use any title at all, so as to avoid people knowing anything about you?