Don’t necessarily need to have a Ph.D. A professor of history once published a paper saying “No Irish Need Apply” signs were a myth. A 14 year old found counterexamples, and did a good enough job to get the takedown published.
I published a paper where six other papers referenced what I covered as literally impossible and it often made me quite angry that nobody was looking into this because of that incorrect statement 20 years ago. To this day I remember that papers are written by humans and are not infallible.
During one journal club-style group meeting, our PI was tearing into a paper and basically calling it bullshit. We had a highschool intern in the group, and he turned to me and said, “but it’s peer reviewed…how can it be wrong?”
It was mostly just so I could make people I don’t like call me Dr.
I know this is a joke, but are there seriously people who think someone who doesn’t like you is going to call you “Doctor” because you have a piece of paper?
Of course it’s not just a piece of paper, it requires metric shitloads of dedication, hard work, and all manner of things about which I haven’t the faintest idea.
But the person who doesn’t like you doesn’t care about all that.
Unless there is some sort of reason they need to appease you or someone at an organization they’re part of (work, personal stuff, whatever) they have no reason to acknowledge your hard work.
And honestly, when someone gives me that look and corrects me with “it’s DOCTOR” in that tone, I make a point to never refer to them as doctor, simply because of our first interaction. Be more friendly when introducing yourself as “Dr. Name Lastname”. And maybe learn to live with the fact that not everyone cares about titles.
Sorry for the rant, semi-serious question, it just struck a nerve because someone did this to me recently and did not react well to me continuing to call them by their first name.
Yeah, there is no “make” people call you doctor unless you have some kind of leverage on them, which isn’t something any schools hand out during graduation ceremonies.
I’m sure it would come in handy sometimes, though!
Mildly related, this scene just popped into my head:
“Excuse me, I just need to go get my Doctor Glove”
“what’s that?”
“The glove I wear when I bitch slap people who don’t call me Doctor. It’s embroidered.”
You get a dagger in Europe, but their PhD programs are generally shorter and less difficult, so you need the knife to get back to parity with American PhDs. (Personally I think the entire concept is borderline a scam, but whatever.)
Hah no, I have never actually done that, nor do I plan to, and I never write my name, or introduce myself in person, with Dr./PhD.
It’s only appropriate in professional settings. People who try and pull rank like that in social settings make it clear who to stay away from.
Well, Dr. @qjkxbmwvz, I will gladly address you as doctor here to both acknowledge your hard work, and the fact that you aren’t an arrogant prick about things.
Cheers!
I can do that without a PhD by just being intimidating enough. Or a lab coat and the right attitude.
So you get spammed with emails asking for papers and presentations at conferences too?
Same. The undergrad paper that led me to pursue a PhD was a response to a published paper that didn’t use a control group.
Is that why I never finished my PhD? Not enough spite?
i like how this is the academic version of “fuck you i’ll do it myself then”
Can confirm. Am PhD.
See also: Sigmund Freud
