Biden’s victory lap
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@mik said in Biden’s victory lap:
I thought she was a physician of some sort. he has a very good point. I have three doctorates in my family and none of them use the honorific.
From the RWEC, Steven Hayward writes:
"For the record, I’m still somewhat embarrassed merely to be called professor, and on the rare occasions when someones has presumed to call me “Doctor Hayward,” I usually disavow the term. Hypothetical: Suppose “Doctor Biden” is dining in a restaurant some time and a nearby diner is suddenly in distress. The host or hostess calls out, “Is there is doctor in the house?” Will “Doctor” Jill Biden answer the call? If I’d ever actually reserved a table under “doctor” and someone was choking, I guess I’d have to say, “Well, you see, I’m a Doctor of Philosophy, and as philosophy teaches that there’s a time to live and a time to die. . .”
For what it’s worth, my practice in the classroom is to emulate the old St. Johns/University of Chicago protocol, in which I am “Mr. Hayward,” and all the students are “Mr. Smith” or “Ms. Jones.” Admittedly this is a little tricky now in the age of exponentially expanding pronouns, but the point is, this modicum of formality not only treats students with an unaccustomed respect, but keeps a baseline of seriousness amidst a sometimes chaotic and free-flowing dialogue (at least in small seminars), and also conveys a certain kind of equality which is the notional atmosphere of classical education. Students like it, by the way. It’s kinda chill, they might say. I know very few professors (actually none) who insist on being called “doctor.” (To be fair, Henry Kissinger, who insisted on being called “Dr. Kissinger” when he joined the Nixon White House in 1969, is one of the authors of this pretension. I’m sure being compared to Kissinger will be a comfort to Jill Biden.)
And "Dr." Sebastian Gorka? Sit down.
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I agree with teh above. I think we talked a bit about this before.
In my mind, Dr. should be held for medical doctors.
I realize that a lot of hard work and schooling for people who get a PhD or other doctor, but it does confuse things.
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of-doctor
Origin of "Doctor"
The English language history of doctor starts in the early 14th century, when the word was first applied to a select few who likely knew neither bloodwork nor basketwork. They were equipped for dealing with matters of the soul: they were eminent theologians who had a special seal of approval from the Roman Catholic Church as people able to talk about and explain the doctrines of the Church. They were teachers of a kind, and the word's origin makes this connection. The word doctor comes from the Latin word for "teacher," itself from docēre, meaning "to teach."
The 14th century was the birth of the Renaissance, and lots of teaching and learning was afoot. By the century's end, the word doctor was being applied not just to a select few theologians, but also to qualified and/or accomplished academics and medical practitioners.
In the centuries between then and now, doctor has had many other applications, including referencing a soldering tool, a tropical sea breeze, and a loaded die. It's almost exclusively used of people now, and both qualified academics and medical practitioners may rightfully claim it.Some people are too serious about being called 'Doctor' or not being called 'Doctor.' Some people are too serious about other people being called 'Doctor' or not being called 'Doctor.'
I've seen lawn service companies call themselves "lawn doctor", I've seen plumbers call themselves "Doctor drain," I've seen electronics repair people call themselves "phone doctor," etc.
Relax. Live and let live. The definition and usage of 'Doctor' will keep evolving long pass our lifetimes.
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@mik said in Biden’s victory lap:
I thought she was a physician of some sort. he has a very good point. I have three doctorates in my family and none of them use the honorific.
In the UK, 'Professor' really means something - basically you're head of a University department.
In America, it's a couple of steps above 'lab technician'.
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Ann Althouse blogs about this stuff.
But here's the funny part. Someone commented:
"A reader writes: "When I first started teaching at Stanford, someone remarked to me that he had never met a physicist who used 'Dr.,' and never met a Ph.D. from the Education school who did not. This has held true in my experience for decades now."
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@george-k said in Biden’s victory lap:
Ann Althouse blogs about this stuff.
But here's the funny part. Someone commented:
"A reader writes: "When I first started teaching at Stanford, someone remarked to me that he had never met a physicist who used 'Dr.,' and never met a Ph.D. from the Education school who did not. This has held true in my experience for decades now."
That’s true and also ‘exculpatory’ for Jill, IMO.
The Superintendent of our little district is “Dr Brady”
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I once lived in a shared house with a guy who regularly received mail from his family with "Darren Smith B.A. (Hons.)" on the address. To say he wasn't that bright would be an understatement. We overheard him on the phone when asked where he'd studied casually say "Oxford". He'd been an undergraduate at Oxford Polytechnic.
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Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
I watched the video with the sound off. It looked to me like his eyes hurt, nothing more.
I guess if you go in expecting to see dementia at play, that is what you are by god going to see. Oh well, turnabout's fair play, I guess; why should Biden escape his detractors anymore than Trump escaped his? After all, what's the welfare of the country compared to the rich, fulfilling satisfaction of sweet, sweet revenge?
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@jolly said in Biden’s victory lap:
How many "Doctors" of education could actually walk into a classroom and teach?
Precious few, I'm thinking...
I believe Jill Biden was still working as a teacher.
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@jon-nyc said in Biden’s victory lap:
The Superintendent of our little district is “Dr Brady”
My school district’s superintendent also uses the title “Dr.” in all school district communications.
It’s quite clear to me that that’s because he has a doctoral degree, not because he is a medical doctor, and no, I do not worry if he will ever volunteer in an airplane if the crew ever ask “is there a doctor on the plane?”
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@jolly said in Biden’s victory lap:
How many "Doctors" of education could actually walk into a classroom and teach?
Precious few, I'm thinking...
I trained as a teacher, and the training college was full of doctors. We initially all kind of wrote them off as ivory tower academics, but actually when we saw our tutors take a class they were really good teachers.
I think there's a danger of writing off people who have a lot of qualifications as a kind of inverted snobbery.
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Someone found Jill Biden's dissertation:
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20407226/bidens-dissertation.pdf
Ouch:
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I got to the first paragraph of the introduction and found this:
"The needs of the student population are often undeserved, resulting in a student drop-out rate of almost one third."
I don't think I need to read any further. Spellcheck is a cursory check, not editing.
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DON’T let them eat cake.
- RFK Jr -
It always amazes me when you see someone submitting something important and there are basic mistakes like in the paper above by Mrs. Biden. Does not give me confident in the rest of the paper.
