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

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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=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.  [/quote]

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. [/quote]

Language evolves. PP is right this is why it is seen as obnoxious. You don't have to agree with it but this is the reason other people think it is obnoxious. It feels in some ways like the person is trying to cutely get one over on you. [/quote]

If you were secure in yourself, another person’s earned professional title would have no impact on you. [/quote]

It's not an earned professional title. It's an academic title.

If someone wants to use it in an every day setting, that's fine. Just know that people think it's silly.[/quote]

The OP stated that no one but MDs can call themselves "Dr.".  That is untrue.

Now other PPs are going on about people using "Dr." in casual contexts.  That would be pretentious for anyone, including MDs. That is not specific to any profession.  I think that is widely agreed upon.  But some PPs are going on about people other than MDs never using "Dr.", even in professional contexts, and that is nonsense.  in the workplace, referring to any Ph.D., MD etc as Dr. So-and-so had been normal and expected as long as I've been alive.  I would do so unless I was on a first-name basis with the person, in the same way I might call someone Mr. or Mrs. when I don't know them personally.

I work with many, many Ph.D.s.  When they give a professional talk, they will be introduced as and addressed as Dr. So-and-so and no one bats an eye. This is expected and typical. They earned that title by earning their degree.

I still think many people going on about this on this thread have inferiority complexes.  [/quote]

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