AIBU - use of ‘Dr’ title - is this normal?!

[Cheesecake45]

Just not sure if I need to get with the times or not - is it normal to go by the title ‘Dr’ simply for having a PhD, if you aren’t in the medical profession? I’m talking one of the easiest PhDs to get (comparatively speaking), nothing vaguely linked to medicine.

AIBU??
YES = this is totally normal get over yourself
NO = wouldn’t be caught dead calling myself a doctor unless I could be assistance in a medical emergency!

Except that's not true at all.
In the actual real world people with PhDs do call themselves Dr, and rightly so.

but you are bothered.
many posts worth of bothered.

if the many different titles used by people are irrelevant to you that’s good and healthy. I suggest going with that in future 😀

Umm … well, if we had to do a presentation on achievements of the human race… I can’t really imagine mentioning estate agents if I’m brutally honest.

They don’t need to know your marital status, I use Ms.

But I imagine they want to know your gender as part of their security checks. If a woman calls up saying she’s Mr Brown, they may query it and vice versa.

If the situation requires a title then mine is normally Dr. Clearly if everyone else is using first names I do that too....I'm not a complete nutter! 🤣

I think it is the one that Gillian McKeith had, all you need to have is the academic smarts ability to type your details onto a website and attach your credit card details!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

If you have a doctorate, you're a doctor.

Thinking that only medical doctors should be allowed to use the title seems silly to me, and like you don't really understand the title.

I don't have one but suspect I would only use it in a professional capacity. I would get fed up of people trying to show me their ingrowing toenails etc or having cabin crew ask me to help with onboard medical emergencies as most people assume its a medical doctor.

My school Chemistry teacher back in the day was called Dr White which caused much hilarity as we couldn't get past her being named after a now discontinued, but popular at the time, brand of sanitary towels.

There is no reason for people with a PhD to use the title “Dr” on a day to day basis other than to flex a sense of perceived superiority.

Frankly, though, I’d still probably be more impressed by the intellect of a senior barrister than that of someone who has a PhD in media studies, even if only the latter automatically gets a title.

I’m a bit amused, but not bothered. The ones who are bothered are those making personal attacks and aspersions (including you really). I’ve been pretty restrained in not insulting them back! 🤣

If I had a phd I wouldn't call myself doctor outside of work and if I was a medical,doctor I wouldn't call myself doctor outside of work.

Two of my kids are medical doctor and another on has a phd. None use Doctor outside of work.

You should be very proud of yourself if you are either type of Doctor but I'd question anyone's motives for wanting everyone else to know. It's cringey and old fashioned.

🤣
That was my first thought too and came to say as much 😁
Tickle with a fossil brush as much as you like, doesn't make you a doctor lol. Not much use in an emergency either 😂

If people think those with a PhD should only
use it at work why would the same not apply to medical doctors ?

There's an awful lot of touchy folk on this thread.

This thread is a testament to why imposter syndrome is so rife among academics. It's mind boggling that the OP fails to understand a PhD is a Doctor in Philosophy, there is no such thing as an 'easy' PhD, and stating that you are a Doctor is perfectly accurate and not indicating you possess medical knowledge!

This is quite a back pedal on saying that if someone wanted you to use their title you’d flat out refuse to use it …

That drama needs to have its own thread.

TBF I can't stand the fact that married women are called Mrs either. I refuse to use any title unless I absolutely have to.

I have a PhD and am no longer in academia.

Do I use it? Hell yes! and why the hell shouldn't I?

To be honest, I veer between using Ms (I've never seen why I should reveal my marital status on forms, etc) and Dr. If I want to conceal my sex I use Dr. Frankly, if I want to sound professional and don't-fuck-me-about, I use Dr. Where I DON'T use Dr - in any medical setting, for instance if I'm attending a clinic as a patient. I used not to fly as Dr Glom because I was worried about getting hassled for not being able to tend to other passengers who were having a medical crisis, but I think that's a bit of an urban myth. Anyway, my new passport now says Dr Glom.

If I were a cleric, I'd use Rev (or whatever). I don't see that much of a difference.

I've noticed this. My DH is an engineer and he does some work for a German company periodically. His German colleagues use the Eur Ing title routinely and find it odd that DH doesn't have a professional title even though he is equally well qualified. But people here would think it very strange for an engineer to have a specific title - there's a marked cultural difference.

You could quite easily make the same argument about people who change their title to "Mrs" on marriage.

Titles are weird at the best of times. Objecting to someone using a title based on a high level of academic achievement while not objecting to other "variable" titles (ie anything except "Mr") is a weird anglophone-world hang up based on a strong strain of anti-intellectualism.

‘amused’ is the bingo card of the back-pedalling frother

I'd say the expert on medieval poetry would deepen and extend society's cultural and historical knowledge and would have a longer lasting and much more significant impact than the estate agent.
I haven't heard many estate agents discussing matters with other experts and Melvyn Bragg on Start the Week tbh.

That is why there is a tannoy asking “Is there a medical professional on board?” If there is a medical emergency on a flight. So you don’t get some twat with a Ph.D. In The Poetry and Songs of Ancient Iceland putting their hand up if you ask for a doctor..