Doing without titles: who likes the idea?

[StuffingGoldBrass]

Inspired by another thread about being called Ms/Miss/Mrs - how many times is it really necessary to use titles like Mr/Ms to indicate whether we are male or female?
After all, how many interactions/jobs are there where it really does matter what gender a person is?

I quite fancy being "Honourable" though it does conjur up images of people bowing as they say it.

I could live with "HOnourable"

The problem with getting rid of titles is that at the same time you are also getting rid of formality, which a lot of people will not like at all.

I like "Comrade".

Oh yes I could go with Comrade

You don't want to be Hon either, as a woman. Rt Hon is if you're an MP so you won the title in your one right. You're only an Hon if your father or husband has a peerage, though.

So, sister then...?

Nah, let's go with comrade. It's got a subversive ring to it.

I actually did belong to a group that quite a few people used comrade, with a straight face. It could catch on?

I thought Rt Hon was only members of parliament who are also members of the Privy Council/Cabinet? And yer bog standard MP is The Hon Member for.......

Do a PhD OP, then you get to be Dr!

Sister still identifies your gender though.

Yes, Rt Hon just members of PC, you're right, Poledra. Hon MPs can't use the title in writing, just in speech.

How about 'fantastic'?

Ft FlamingoBingo

Most names identify your gender, so unless you use a gender neutral title and surnames only, you are identified by gender anyway.

Personally I don't care if my gender is identified because thats something that is easy to see anyway, but I do have an issue with my title identifying my marital status when a mans does not.

I like the idea. or just having a title for each gender, not one for men and 3 for women. just silly.
in my office we are not allowed to call people by their academic title(s), only names, preferably fornames only.

Another vote for Comrade here

You're not allowed to call someone by their academic title? Why not - I worked bloody hard for mine??

Citizen?

I am sure you did, fairy, but it saves us "lowly secretaries" from beeing treated as second rate employee...

I immediately thought of Comrade

I would like this, or second choice, just Mr or Ms. I LOATHE 'is that Miss or Mrs?', as though nothing can be properly processed until your marital status is certain.

It is the only time I say 'it's DOCTOR, actually', and that shuts them up!

I see - actually, when I stop to think about it, where I work, we use first names even up to Board level. However, my title is used in correspondence and such like.

I occasionally call my boss by his title and surname to poke fun at him.

I also don't get why it's rude to make a mistake in correspondence and address someone by the honorific of the gender they are not eg when you are writing to a J Smith and don't know if it's Ms or Mr. Surely a person would only be offended by that if they thought, for some odd reason, that one gender is better than the other....

(oh, wait...)

not citizen.. nation states are patriarchal constructions...

Yay!

Turns out I'm not invisible AND I've lernt something today!

Thanks Sakura.

(Isn't Dutch society matriarchal?)

learnt grr! (dashed sticky 'a' key)

See, that's the thing, SGB - I am clearly so conditioned that I do feel rude when I mistake someone's gender like that.