[stylist] Using titles to refer to people

Thu Apr 2 05:04:04 UTC 2009

Not you, too, Justin?

Okay, I'll try not to be too shocked here.  But really.  But I mean.  I am
so sad, and so sorry, but I am really incredulous here.

Is it a low self-esteem thing?  Iis there such desperate need for anything
to burnish your image?  Is there no confidence in the real, actual power of
your accomplishments in and of themselves?  Iis there no appreciation for
the virtue of understatement, or the oblique reference?

It has been my great pleasure and privilege to know over fifty people with
Ph.Ds.  None, and I repeat, none of them use Dr. next to their names and
only use Ph.D sparingly.  Take Harlan Lane, who is the James Elliott
Distinguished Professor of History at Northeastern University, who earned
his Ph.D from Sorbonne, no less, and wrote bestselling books published by
Knopf--he absolutely never uses Dr.  Or take Carol Padden, the chair of the
Communications Department at the University of California at San Diego,
author of two books, with her husband, Tom Humphries, professor of
linguistics and fellow at the Salk Institute, published by Harvard
Univeristy Press--no Dr. for either of them.  Or take Brenda Jo Brueggemann,
chair of the Deaf Studies department at Ohio State University--she has two
Ph.Ds but never goes by Dr.  Or take Bob Harris, the CEO of the Deaf
community's biggest Deaf-related store, Harris Communications, who has a
Ph.D in psychology--no Dr.  Or take Benjamin J. Soukup, the CEO of CSD,
former president of NAD, current chairman of the board of trustees of
Gallaudet, who doesn't have ANY degrees that he earned from college, not
even a BA degree, but he has a long list of honorary doctorates--nice
honors, he says, but he never calls himself Dr.  Or take Jane Frenandes,
Ph.D in literature, former provost at Gallaudet, now provost at the
University of North Carolina at Asheville--no Dr.  Or take the well-known
Deaf comedian, Bob Daniels, Ph.D in comparative literature from
Princeton--no Dr.  Or take my very close friend, Sean Virnig, Ph.D in
educational administration, now head of the school for the Deaf here--Ph.D
on his business card for work, but that's it.  

Or take those who are hearing, not Deaf like the above--Mary Kirk, Ph.D in
education, professor at Metro State University--never Dr.  Or take Dona
Mathews, Ph.D in psychology, CEO of a counseling firm here--no Dr.  Or take
Bill Williams, Ph.D in Renaissance Studies, gallery owner--no Dr.  Or take
Pia Taavila, Ph.D in English, poet--no Dr.  Or take Mike Dykstra, Ph.D in
marine biology, government biologist and teaches at UNC Chapel Hill--never
Dr.  Or take Oliver Sacks, the bestselling author of many books, Ph.D in
neurology, well, sometimes he's called Dr. because he is so distinguished
and so, so famous, but it is very rarely used in print and absolutely never
in his own books.  Or take Teresa B. Smith, Ph.D in social sciences--you'll
never catch her using the title Dr.

Only M.D.s are regularly called Dr. in print.  The other kinds of doctors,
no.  Sometimes Ph.D, but NOT Dr.

Dr. but not a M.D. is a propped-up fake.

Why prop up Jernigan or Mauer while they are already great as is?  The
propping up only makes it look like they need propping up.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Justin Williams
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 9:07 PM
To: 'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] Using titles to refer to people

I think that if you have earned that allusive and prestidgous title, then
you have the right to use it whenever you so desire.  As a matter of fact,
you should.  Hell, if I had it, I would be putting Dr. Williams on
everything.  Boy Dr. Williams has a nice ring to it.  Maybe I just go and
get me one of them there PHds.  

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Angela fowler
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 9:46 PM
To: 'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: [stylist] Using titles to refer to people

Most people who have PHDs are referred to as Doctor. I think you're reading
way too much into it. 

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of John Lee Clark
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 1:02 PM
To: 'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] Heroes of the blind community

Hey, all:

I notice NFB's tendency to take pains to refer to people with doctorates as
Dr.  Am I to read into this a kind of inferiority complex and if you have a
doctorate you make sure it is known and touted?

If so, Ii recommend scrapping this altogether.  You may think it builds
credibility, but the fact you mention Dr. at all suggests it is SPECIAL for
a blind person.  But it shouldn't be considered special, but only a matter
of course--of course you've got a whole colony of blind doctors!  Even if
you don't have that many, it's good to be nonchalant about it.

But I can sympathize.  The Deaf community used to make a big deal of the
title Dr. but that was back in the 1930s.  Nowadays, Deaf Ph.Ds are common
as dirt.  

But I make this suggestion only from the perspective of language
manipulation.  Understatements are better than overstatements.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of LoriStay at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 8:16 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [stylist] Heroes of the blind community

Start with the leaders:   Louis Braille, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, Dr. Kenneth 
Jernigan, and many other leaders from NFB.
Lori
In a message dated 3/31/09 11:59:04 PM, jbron at optonline.net writes:

> 
> >> Who are the biggest legendary figures or heroes of the blind community?
> >>
> 

**************
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