My father is an MD and he goes by Doctor. My mother has a PhD in Economics, when she was a professor at a University she went by Dr, and in some of her business dealings she goes by Dr but not in everyday life.

Here is one for you MD's what about the guys who are DO's??? Forget the dentist... and the Chiro is not a Dr in my book

There was much fear and loathing...and a nip of rum.

Concur.

In baiting, I have a lot of personal "hands on" experience, but no formal education.

:D

Doctors (M.D.s) have always been held in high regard by most people, admired by some who may even evelate them to a "god-like" status, and almost everyone has put their care, or even their life, in a doctor's hands at one time or another.

So it's not surprising that when one sees the word or hears "doctor", what registers in their mind is actually, most often, "medical doctor".

Other doctorates are no less legitimate than medical doctorates, but society has elevated the latter to a position where it is seen as audacious for the holder of any doctorate other than a medical doctorate to want to be adressed as "Doctor".

It's a trivial concern - purely a titular matter (HAHAHAHA! I said titular. :D)

Man, I so don't believe that for a minute. When I see PhD or he title "Dr." associated with a research scientist, astronomer or engineer, my respect meter goes up.

lotta anti-dentites on here

I'm not sure what I said that you don't believe. I agree with you 100%, re the fields you mention. And my respect meter also goes up for people who've done the research and written the papers to earn a PhD in other fields of study - including psychology, sociology, law, pharmacy, business, etc.

I was just adressing the fact that many people don't consider those who have doctorates in fields other than medicine to be "real" doctors, that they feel that only medical doctors should be adressed as "Doctor" in everyday life whereas others should limit the use of the title to the classroom, boardroom, seminar, etc.

What I DON'T respect are diploma mills who are somehow entitled to crank out "PhD"s that are inarguably grossly inferior to "real PhD"s earned at universities that are recognized for the genuine quality of their education and of their graduates. And I consider anyone who's bought one of those "degrees" from a diploma mill and insists on being adressed as "Doctor" to be laughable, if not a total buffoon.

What I'm saying is that the whole PhD concept has been corrupted over the years to the extent that there are hundreds of strip-mall "Universities" (another corrupted concept, "university") that offer these pieces of paper, which are pretty much valueless as far as much of the hiring industry goes.

The same thing has happened to "engineers". Hell, the guy who picks up my garbage every week says he's a freakin' "sanitation engineer". :rolleyes:

My ex-wife was a PhD who earned her degree at one of our most prestigious universities and was only called Doctor in the classroom. I never called her Doctor...near the end I called her bitc...never mind, irrelevant. :)

My dentist is also one of my buddies. When I'm in his office I call him Doctor (he certainly doesn't request it though), other places by his first name. But - I recently had a number of visits with a chiropractor and I gotta admit, part of me cringed when I forced myself to call him Doctor. :)

Wow! So it's not just me. Now who wants to anonymously forward this to the guy who inspired this thread??? ;)

Here's an interesting take...

I worked in London for a year. A friends teenage son referred to me as "Mr." His father gently corrected him; "To address him as "Mr." is not rude, but it is incorrect. His title is "Dr." You can correctly address him by his first name or even call him a Yankee wanker, but he cannot be properly called "Mr." :)

The only guy I call Dr. is the one that checks my prostrate....


Now you have to anti up as to why yu asked the question!

Hopefully, they have small hands

Just curious. :p

He's supposed to use his hands?!

is it acceptable for him to mix & match?

e.g. "Dr. Yank"?

Before you can be called Dr. Yank, don't you have to first get a Master Bater degree?

Funny and interesting; I have always tried to teach my kids about respect, because it's polite and so seldom taught these days. Whenever we meet someone (who I only know their first name), I will always ask for their last name so I can introduce them to my children as Mr. whatever, and let my kids know that is the proper way to address an adult. Now if some yank wanker with a paper degree from U of Ph. corrected me and said "It's Dr. whateverÈ, I would tell my kids to call them Dr. DOUCE...

Just saying :D

I agree. When someone introduces me as "doctor" I always ask them to call me by my first name. Even kids.

Most of the young kids in my neighborhood call me "Mr." That's fine. Who care's? Like I said, I greatly prefer being called by my first name.

Heard that. :D