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

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[quote=Anonymous]I have a JD. Yeah, technically it’s a doctorate, but I don’t need to be in the business of confusing the public. Most people think of a physician when they think of a doctor. Also, there’s just no need, why would I want to have people call me Dr. so-and-so? There’s no reason to do that. I don’t even have people use my last name, I go by my first name anyway— unless I’m in court. I would be especially concerned with the potential to confuse the public with and attorney working in the malpractice space. I would not want one of their clients to think that they had extra expertise that they in fact do not have.

I think things are a bit different for people who have a PhD. The original “doctors” were the scholars— the people with a PhD. 800 years ago the scholars were the doctors — not the folks we would call physicians today —so it absolutely makes sense to call folks with a phd “doctor.” Certainly in the academic environment where you have some people teaching and doing research who do not have a PhD, but have a masters or something. So it is a matter of respect in the academic setting.

Socially? Like addressing an invite or something? I’d put Dr for the MDs and the Phds. But people really kinda need to get over themselves, so I’d actually be good with just getting rid of titles altogether. Socially  I don’t even need to be Ms, I can just be Larla Larloson. 
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