Read on Twitter
So, I take it from Twitter that someone put words in a newspaper showing he doesn't understand the difference between a doctorate & a physician, just so he could mainsplain a woman who does⊠Genius move, clearly.
And since I know well that many people don't get that difference, here's what I tell students every year so they do.
(1) be careful with titles unless you are trying to deliberately be offensive
(2) be doubly careful with honorifics for women and POC
(1) be careful with titles unless you are trying to deliberately be offensive
(2) be doubly careful with honorifics for women and POC
(3) *I'm* fine being called "James," but I'm a cis, het, white male, so I'll be fine even if you call me Sue
(4) "Doctor" is an honorific for people with a doctorate, & in polite company it's a courtesy granted to physicians (among othersâŠ)
(4) "Doctor" is an honorific for people with a doctorate, & in polite company it's a courtesy granted to physicians (among othersâŠ)
(5) physicians are doctors in the same way lawyers are (if their school issues a JD), but this differs all over the place & plenty of physicians don't hold a MD just like many lawyers don't
(6) if you think this is what doctor means in "English," it's not. It's even trickier in the UK too (apart from rubbers being eraser & mufflers being scarves, but Americans who say "piddle" better not laughâŠ)
(7) for academic settings, here's the low down:
7a. "Professor" is a rank (Full Professor) and "professor" is a job description
7b. "Doctor" is an honorific for people holding a doctorate
7c. No one is offended if you address them using a higher rank
7d. Never use Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss as professional titles
7b. "Doctor" is an honorific for people holding a doctorate
7c. No one is offended if you address them using a higher rank
7d. Never use Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss as professional titles
7e. If 7d seems weird, just go look up the difference between Mister & Esquire for men in the UK who are not knights⊠You know what, go do that anyway!
7f. just to show how crazy it is, your pharmacist quite possibly has an actual PhD in Pharmacy. Why don't you call them "doctor" if you call surgeons "doc"?
(8) that's why I'm fine with being called "James," but "Mr. Gifford" will get you about as far as calling me "boy." And yes, please grant physicians, lawyers, or pharmacists the honorific "Dr." too if that's what you do locally (it's covered in 7d)
(9) None of this applies if your intent is to be deliberately offensive, which is what I assume about that news article. NB: just sticking with "jerk" is better than showing everyone you don't know what words mean
(10) I'm still puzzled how people calling for "traditional" uses of pronouns tie themselves in knots avoiding traditional uses of honorifics⊠Which is how we know none of it's sincere.
And for clarity on that last point⊠https://twitter.com/aoscott/status/1337896833721495552?s=20
