This thread exemplifies what I perceive to be one of the most frustating
aspects of academia.  I would urge that the academic world often concerns
itself far too much with the niceties of  "form" at the expense of its much
more interesting and rewarding converse.

Does it really matter whether or not a JD or LLM is called "Dr."?  Taken out
of the context in which most of us work, the answer is no, of course not.
It seems to me that our concern with this issue arises from the perception
(real or imagined) that someone with that particular title in front of her
moniker is (pick one) smarter, more educated, more respected, cooler, less
redolent, more redolent or  better looking than the next person.  (Alright,
maybe not better looking.)

In any event, it's elitist, anti-egalitarian, archaic and even barbaric.
Why did we in the US abandon all the old titles like baron, lord, sir, your
excellence, etc., etc.?  I believe it was Monty Python that had a skit in
which some laughably pompous character was repeatedly and with mock respect
referred to by his underlings as "your [expletive deleted]ness."  The bearer
of this title didn't seem to notice its disparaging connotation--presumably
he was too absorbed with his own importance, and only knew that he was
properly being referred to as "your" something or another.  Not to belabor a
sophmoric point, but titles like these rail against the idea that a person
should be judged on who they are and what they can do, rather than what we
are required to call them.  Most of us teach in business schools, in which
we are charged with training students to be better citizens of an
increasingly democratic and capitalist world.  Yet we are ourselves caught
up in a feudalistic title-grubbing.

Perhaps we lawyers should be the first group of academics to insist that we
be judged on what we can do, not what we're called.  It wouldn't be the
first sacred cow toppled by lawyers in the interest of improving society.

My favorite "Dr."?  Dr. Suess.



Kent Schenkel
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
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