5 ms·
At least in the US, having a Ph.D. and insisting on being referred to as "Doctor" is considered a real asshole move. Usually one might address the person once
by downerending 6y ago
At least in the US, having a Ph.D. and insisting on being referred to as "Doctor" is considered a real asshole move. Usually one might address the person once as "Dr. Whatever", but they will invariably reply, "Please, call me Jane".
Even referring to someone as "Dr. Whatever" in the third person is pretty unusual, if you've ever met them. If I was to speak of my college professors right now, I certainly wouldn't use "Doctor". Maybe if they were 70 or had a Nobel or something.
(Related: In the movie Avatar, one scientist introduces himself to another scientist as "Doctor Norm Whatever". It absolutely clangs, at least to my ears.)
- jedberg 6y agoIf you know them sure. But for a professor who I took a class with? I would always call them Professor Whatever if my only interaction with them was in a classroom context.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- foota 6y agoMaybe a generational thing? Not sure when you went to school, I went to a midsized state school 3 years ago and mostly referred to professors by their first or last name. I think this is more common in CS perhaps? I don't think my physics friends did the same thing as often though.
- bookofjoe 6y agoCf. "Dr." Jill Biden
- downerending 6y ago?
- bookofjoe 6y agoRelated: as an anesthesiology associate professor (M.D.), I always told the residents to call me Joe. However, there were always a couple who either would not or could not do so, and addressed me for the entirety of their three-year residencies as Dr. Stirt. Diff'rent strokes