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 think it's pretentious to give yourself any title e.g. introducing yourself as mrs/mr/doctor/professor etc rather than just saying "hello, I'm john smith".

My basic understanding is that those with PhDs have a doctorate and are entitled to call themselves "doctor". Those with a medical/dental degree do not have doctorates in medicine, but batchelors degrees; the use of "doctor" is therefore honorary.

I don't mind calling my GP "doctor" but I feel ridiculous using it for my dentist when I previously called him "mr". In any case the higher up you go the food chain in medicine, the doctor title is dropped. It's all a bit nonsensical.

Not read everthing but it is very pretentious and embarrassing to use it outside of work / academia.

I'm guessing Sir EFA hasn't got a PhD...

rathlin have you ever known anyone to actually introduce themselves as "Hello I'm Mr/Mrs/Dr Firstname Lastname"? I don't think I have.

But there are situations where it is appropriate to call someone Title Lastname, and in those situations I would like my title to be correct.

I agree that it would be nice to live in a world of no titles and just have everyone be Firstname Lastname, but many people (older people in particular) would think it rude to be addressed by their first name by a stranger.

yes but LRD if said plumber had a phd in plumbing it would indeed be relevant but if not - don't need to know!
I occasionally get forms from elderly long retired men crossing out all the titles to replace them with "Wing Commander" or some such nonsense. Not any more mate - now you're just plain old Mr!

If being published in academia then put phd after your name if you like. This is enough for all but the grandiose, surely? I respect the acquisition of a phd (depending on the subject) but deride and mock the use of the title in daily life.

A PhD in plumbing would be useful right now.

I was mainly just responding to the idea that admitting you have expertise/training is automatically trying to make out you're 'better'. It's not.

... but it's not usual to use a title in academic publications. It's wanky.

Using dr is an attempt to identify yourself as superior to others, go on, admit it to yourselves!

If being published in academia then put phd after your name if you like

Somehow EFA I get the impression that you are not the person we should be consulting on the etiquette of how to communicate your titles and qualifications in academia.

I think you might have met some prats with doctorates, EFA. Which I have too. But I'm sure if they didn't have doctorates they would have been telling you 'ooh, me, I'm John Smith, and back when I was doing my Masters/BA/Advanced Swimming Cert ...'.

LRD it's not "admitting" though , is it? It's telling people who don't care one jot when they are utterly disinterested. That's on a par with telling everyone you meet immediately that you were runner up in a jam making comp in 1989 ie inappropriate and socially inept

that's not what disinterested means

Not sure about the 'Wing Commander's and other military titles. However, if someone is a Professor Emeritus that should stand as their title should they wish to use it.
Need I say they could also be Dr(PhD)

Mmm, I don't think so, really, It's a title. It's not like I'm going (if I ever get one) to sit people down and explain to them that I know loooooads of shite about medieval manuscript culture and would they like me to tell them about it?

So not really the same I think.

I don't really know what you are accusing people of doing EFA.

Are you saying that there are people who, when you say "I am Essential Fatty" they say "I am Doctor Firstname Lastname"?

Because we agree that that would be silly.

But I don't believe anyone does that.

Or are you saying that when you are filling in a form and the form asks for a title, it would be wanky to write "Doctor" when that is your title? If that is what you are saying then I disagree quite strongly.

well trills you know what, you most likely know a whole lot more about working in academia than I do. Would you like me to doff my forelock to you for that? The question is not about academic life however, it's about regular life outside of academia. I realise it may be unpalatable that using dr fails to impress lots of us and in fact provokes ridicule

I think we can't win to be honest.

Someone on another thread said women who use 'Ms' sound like lesbians or 'stroppy mares' trying to prove something.

If I use 'Mrs' others will say I am boasting about being married.

If I use 'Dr' it must be because I just want to put people down.

And apparently Firstname Lastname is seen as rude and not formal enough by some.

Lady? Rev? What do I go for?

No forelocks required, it just seemed rather strange that you were giving us permission to use titles in academic publishing.

I still want to know why people with phds get 'better' treatment! Perhaps a doctor of psychology or sociology could explain? This is an interesting thread.

Do they? Better treatment in what circumstances?

If I had a PhD, I would use the title Dr. If I was a Professor, I would use the title Professor, If I had a knighthood, I would use the title Sir. If I was a Dame, I would use the title Dame. If I was awarded an OBE I would damn well put the letters after my name!

Why shouldn't you, when you are entitled to?

Sadly, I am unlikely to achieve any of the above. Time to start living through my children...

I bet you call yourself 'mum' and all, ithaka, you entitled boaster.

Liz Windsor does have a certain ring to it...

Doesn't scan in 'god save ...' though...