[stylist] Come on, folks

Angela fowler fowlers at syix.com
Thu Apr 2 14:48:31 UTC 2009


For heaven's sake you guys, it really isn't that big an issue. Just because
you respect someone enough to give them a title, or you give them that title
because its socially acceptable to do so, doesn't mean you are inferior to
them or feel inferior to them. On the other hand I'm not real strict about
that sort of thing. I never call my profs Doctor, and if they insisted I do
so I might find that off-putting. Let's chock this one up to "To each his
own."  

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Judith Bron
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 7:42 AM
To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Using titles to refer to people

John, Can you respect that others might have different opinions from yours
and deserve respect for their point of view and accomplishment?  We are not
all one lump of sugar hardening together in a sugar bag.
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Lee Clark" <johnlee at clarktouch.com>
To: "'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 1:04 AM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Using titles to refer to people


> 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?
>> >>
>>
>
>
>
>
> **************
> Feeling the pinch at the grocery store?  Make dinner for $10 or less.
> (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood00000001)
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