Not Kiddo

 Call me as I wish  

Just about everyone has heard about The Wall Street Journal column last week, where Joseph Epstein suggested soon-to-be first lady Jill Biden stop using the title "doctor" with her name. Well, even though just about everyone has had something to say, I'd like to add my thoughts.

First of all I want to say how much I admire and respect Dr Biden, and yes I will call her that because that's what she prefers.  It really doesn't need to go any further than that.  A person's name, including any title, is a personal thing, and not to use their preferred form of address is simply rude.  You would certainly not use "Kiddo," unless you were being deliberately rude.

I need to thank Joseph Epstein though. His column has opened a lot of dialogue and has even caused me to rethink something. Here in the United States, we primarily use "doctor" to refer to those who practice medicine. I get it. Perhaps it's time for us all to rethink this though. The word "doctor" comes rom Latin docēre to teach.  Isn't that exactly what Dr Jill Biden does at Northern Virginia Community College?

Now I'll admit that I have long felt that titles and degrees are best used when they best relate to the situation.  My mother would sign chart entries "E. Louise Fullam, RN."  She never signed birthday cards to me that way though.  I have a number of physician friends that I would never dream of calling doctor, but if I was speaking of them to someone who might be a patient, I most certainly would.

At the end of the day though, I think it's important to look at someone's preference.  As with personal pronouns, it is rude to call them anything other that what they prefer.