Why is it considered pretentious for non-MDs who have doctorates to use their title?

[Anonymous]

I hear this a lot. You can't call yourself Dr. unless you have an MD, otherwise it's just pretentious. Only the MDs are "real doctors." And for some reason it's even OK for the MD to use Dr. in a social, non-professional setting but not the PhD or EdD. Why?

It's especially common on the right. The mockery of our First Lady's earned degree is commonplace.

[Anonymous]

Because it’s true.

Unless you have MD, DOM, or DDS after your last name, YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR.

A doctor is a physician. Period.


My brother-in-law with a PhD in history IS NOT A DOCTOR. And he introduces himself as “Dr____ all the freakin time. It’s embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Until someone changes the English language, you are a doctor if you hold a doctorate.

Don’t blame the person with the doctorate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because it’s true.

Unless you have MD, DOM, or DDS after your last name, YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR.

A doctor is a physician. Period.


My brother-in-law with a PhD in history IS NOT A DOCTOR. And he introduces himself as “Dr____ all the freakin time. It’s embarrassing.

Why isn't he a doctor?

[Anonymous]

Because if you introduce yourself as Dr, 99 percent of people will assume you are a medical doctor. And when they learn you are throwing around the dr suffix when all you have is a little extra studying of "education" or "social work" it comes across as pathetic and pretentious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because it’s true.

Unless you have MD, DOM, or DDS after your last name, YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR.

A doctor is a physician. Period.


My brother-in-law with a PhD in history IS NOT A DOCTOR. And he introduces himself as “Dr____ all the freakin time. It’s embarrassing.

Yeah, it's more complicated than this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)

But way to demonstrate that you definitely don't have a doctorate in anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Until someone changes the English language, you are a doctor if you hold a doctorate.

Don’t blame the person with the doctorate.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[Anonymous]

My husband has two doctorates.

He has an MD and a PhD.

Someone who has a PhD is BY DEFINITION a doctor as well.

Sorry. The people who don't know what the initials stand for are SOL.

[Anonymous]

Hey now! DVM is also a Dr! :lol

[Anonymous]

Anybody who introduces themselves as "Dr. Smith" in a social or retail setting is a dweeb. Doesn't matter what kind of doctor. You're my neighbor Larla, I'm not calling you Dr. Smith at the block party. The flight attendant doesn't need to call you Dr. Smith when she checks your ticket.

In a professional setting, if you have a doctorate in your field, you can be addressed as "Dr. Smith." This goes for professors, medical doctors, researchers, etc. However, it's increasingly common for everybody other than medical doctors to go by first names, so Dr. Smith is often addressed as Larla even at work, except in medical workplaces which remain very stratified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because if you introduce yourself as Dr, 99 percent of people will assume you are a medical doctor. And when they learn you are throwing around the dr suffix when all you have is a little extra studying of "education" or "social work" it comes across as pathetic and pretentious.

Doctor has been a title for non-physicians for centuries, longer and more universally than it is used for medical doctors, so that seems like a pretty stupid assumption to make.

[Anonymous]

Any real doctor (ie an MD) , who is normal and not lame, does NOT introduce themselves as "doctor" in a social setting.
And we certainly don't do it in public since we don't really want to start weird conversations.

[Anonymous]

I am a lawyer.

That makes me a “doctor” too.

(technically)

[Anonymous]

Most PhDs never use doctor unless in a university or a company.

MDs who call themselves Dr. __ outside the clinic are kinda douchey too though.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think this matters unless you’re addressing envelopes to a diplomatic reception or something.