"Doctor" Bill Cosby

[Stinky The Clown]

He has a PhEd, I think. Commendable

He is an entertainer.

He uses "Doctor.

That's pretentious. Or puffery.

Lots of us have similar or better credentials. We use them judiciously or not at all.

"Stinky The Clown, BS, MS, PhD" ..... nah ...... doesn't get it.

"Stinky".

Yeah, that's better.

[Taverner]

1. Honorary PhD I think

He does have a Bachelor though

[moc]

20. Cosby's doctorate (an EdD) is not honorary.

[Taverner]

24. Thanks for the correction

[Tangerine LaBamba]

113. Actually, he never got his Bachelor's degree -

dropped out of Temple University to go out on the road doing standup. 1963, I think. Maybe 1962. Never returned. Maybe he got an honorary degree there, but he never earned one................

[Dappleganger]

2. He earned it.

Unlike some who don't. I have no problem giving credit where credit is due.

Edit: it seems there's a lot of conflicting info on exactly what he earned and didn't. My bad for assuming he did earn them (and will continue to assume that until proof is posted otherwise).

[Viking12]

8. Delete

edit

[AspenRose]

14. Fat Albert was part of his dissertation.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED147903&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED147903

[dajoki]

3. Are you angry with Bill?

[tridim]

4. I'm ignoring it because I appreciate what he's trying to do.

He also has lots of honorary doctorates.

[tishaLA]

5. An Ed.D.

But I think it's pretentious outside an academic environment, too.

[Wapsie B]

10. Oh heavens better not let my sister hear that.

What gets me is that I've seen psychologists use Dr. before their name giving people the vague implication they're a medical doctor. The line is not crossed as they don't dispense medical advice but in casual conversation I've seen Phds do this.

[Bill McBlueState]

21. I've heard physicians use Dr. before their name,

giving people the vague implication they know something about English literature.

Well, not really, but it's unclear to me why one subset of people with doctoral-level degrees gets to lay claim to casual use of the title.

[imdjh]

26. I always love it when physicians correct people, "That's DOCTOR Minkovitz". Oh sorry, Stevie.

Seriously, I have a friend whose brother will correct people who call him Mr. Minkovitz. The last time he did this I said, "Just call him Dr. Asshole." Haven't talked to him much since then.

[brendan120678]

37. Kind of like when elected officials and military brass do it? (nt)

[moc]

In a professional setting, a clinical psychologist has every right to be referred to as Doctor.

Because that's what they are.

Speaking, of, do you know what the definition of a psychiatrist is? A psychiatrist is someone who studied medicine, but doesn't practice it, and who practices psychology, but never studied. it. ;-)

[Wapsie B]

31. They sure do but not when giving the implication they're an MD/DO.

[moc]

33. That's not their fault, however. They are doctors, they're just not physicians.

My husband is a clinical social worker in private practice. Sometimes his patients refer to him as "Dr", and he always corrects them. Some of his masters' level colleagues are not so professional, however. For example, he once shared office space with someone who had an EdD and then went back and became a licensed professional counselor (or LPC; as a sidebar, my husband thinks LPCs have lousy clinical training.) This EdD used the "doctor" title in his therapy practice, which was completely inappropriate, imo. His doctoral training was not in clinical psychology; therefore, he wasn't entitled to use that title in the clinical setting.

Clinical psychologists, however, are doctors and have the right to use that title.

[Wapsie B]

70. It is their fault if they give people the impression they're physicians when they're not.

Your example of the EdD is precisely my point. I was talking to a psychologist several years ago who while not stating he was medical director of a sleep lab gave that impression, talking about how many physicians he had trained personally. To me he was trying to give off the image of being a physician and milk that false perception for all it's worth, that is until I asked him what his medical specialty area was. Then and only then did he reveal he was a clinical psychologist by trade.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

80. Actually, no.

If people are too stupid to understand the difference between the title "doctor" and a physician, it's ther own damn fault.

I can understand a child being confused, but not a grown adult.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

111. Dr. Laura -

isn't her doctorate in something other than clinical or counseling psychology?

I have a doctorate in clinical psych, but I'd be embarrassed to use the title "Doctor," which, in our country, refers to medical doctors. I think that any other use of the appellation is pretentious and misleading, but I've caught hell any number of times from would-be physicians with doctoral degrees in American Language and Literature who apparently trade the lousy salaries they receive in the academic world for the make-believe respect they get in the real world when they're called "Doctor."

Just wait until that other diner in the restaurant has a seizure and someone yells out, "Is there a doctor in the house?"

When the maitre'd says, "Dr. XXXX, will you help us, please?" what will be the "Doctor's" response, I wonder?

Remember this wonderful scene from "West Wing"? It's one of my favorites, and handles, very nicely, I believe, that pesky "Doctor" fraud that some choose to perpetuate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD52OlkKfNs

[immoderate]

112. When I was looking at grad schools...

Columbia University offered a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, administered by Teachers College. The degree was an EdD, but was the equivalent of what passes for a PhD at most schools. I guess that anyone holding that degree could be addressed as doctor in a clinical or academic setting. Thee are also counseling and school psychologists that I would suspect can expect the same.

What I find weird is that physicians and dentists(?) can use doctor as some sort of royal title. :shrug:

--imm

[Viking12]

Etymologically speaking, physicians are the real poseurs when they use "Dr."

"The entry from the OED above traces the word's origin -- from the Old French "doctor" from the Latin "doctor," meaning "teacher." And that noun came from the verb "docre" which meant "to teach."

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Etymology-Meaning-Words-1474/doctor.htm

[moc]

34. It's also interesting if you consider the foreign medical degree, the MBBS

"Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery". This is the level of training required to practice medicine in many countries. And yet, we call them "Doctor".

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

83. I think in Britain awhile ago...

surgeons were referred to as "Mr."

[sentelle]

104. You mean like

Dr. Phil?

[Stinky The Clown]

41. **Precisely** my point.

Pretentious

[rockymountaindem]

94. Well as someone who is in a PhD program right now (social sciences), I have this to say

Basically, I aspire to be "Doctor Rockymountaindem" at some point here in the relatively near future. I'm pretty young too, which means I could conceivably get several decades of mileage out of this.

I plan on using "Doctor RMD" once. I've considered it and here's what I think. I think the day I defend (after which I'm told I'll be "Dr. RMD" even before they hand out the actual diploma twice a year), I will make a reservation at a fancy restaurant for "Dr. RMD and family" for me and my parents. After that I think I'll go back to being plain old me the rest of the time. I do want my parents to get a little enjoyment out of what they've paid for though :)

[tishaLA]

114. It's OK. I'm in one, too

in humanities, though. I'll just be happy if I get to be called "Professor" when it's all over, especially with the academic job market being what it is.

[rockymountaindem]

132. Haha, yeah

It's a massacre scene out there on the academic job market. Fortunately I'm not trying to make my way in the ivory tower, although now that I have teaching experience I can see the appeal. I just don't want to enter the "publish or perish" world.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

115. That's what all the Ph.Ds and Ed.Ds

that I've ever known - including one to whom I was married - did. They LOVED the fawning behavior their titles inspired in the people who seated them in restaurants.

I always thought it was funny that they would so cheapen their academic experience. All that hard work, just to try to pass as a physician in a restaurant.

Just hope no one has a heart attack while you're dining. I'm very sure the captain who handled your reservation will immediately call to you for help.

THAT certainly would make an impression on your parents, don't you think?

[Fire1]

129. I'm sorry you feel that way because anybody who

endures all that it takes to 'get there,' is deserving of the title. Particularly, if it's a Ph.D. They've damned well earned it.

[Stuckinthebush]

133. My PhD is no less prestigious than my ex wifes MD

If you call her doctor in a non clinical setting you'd better call me doctor too.

Terminal degree.

For the record, I dont give a damn what people call me. In fact, I just get my grad students to call me John. I know what I know and don't need a title to show it.

I met a guy the other day at a friend's house. He introduced himself as Dr. Jones (ENT I think). I laughed and said, "Dr. Stuckinthebush here, but feel free to call me John". He got a little puffed up when he was called on his pretense.

[lapfog_1]

6. I've worked with people that had PhDs for a great deal of my career

especially the scientists and researchers at NASA. In fact, my position at NASA required a PhD (but I didn't have one). And no one, unless authoring a paper or something, ever even signed their names xxx, PhD.

And never, ever, asked to be referred to as Dr. X. (unless they held a medical degree)

[AspenRose]

17. It depends on the environment

My husband has a PhD but where he works he doesn't use the title, because all of his peers are PhD's too, so it's understood. To them "Doctor" = M.D. or dentist.

When he was teaching in college, however, he used it.

If someone's earned it, I think they have earned the privilege to use it *appropriately*.

[Stinky The Clown]

42. Another key word: "appropraitely"

Yes, indeed.

[lapfog_1]

87. Exactly. Same for me.

And it was odd too, given my position and my peers (most of whom had a PhD), *I* was often given the honorific (like when being introduced at conference or speaking to a group of college students), which was embarrassing to everyone. When it first happened, I would correct the person making the introduction, but after a few years, I just let it slide. After all, they got my title of "Chief Scientist" correct.

[moc]

30. Depends on the setting. In a medical setting, it's much more common to refer to all those with

doctorates as "Doctor" regardless of type. I work in public health, so I function in a medical center with (obviously) a high prevalence of M.D.'s. Students and staff refer to all professors as Doctor, whether they're PhD or MD. (Interestingly, many of my students are MDs, and it feels weird to have them call me Dr. MOC whereas I call them by their first name.)

In a social sciences academic environment, the utilization of the doctor title is much less prevalent, I've found.

[lapfog_1]

82. You will note that I excepted MDs

there were plenty of MDs working at NASA as well as PhDs, and they were called "Doctor X.".

And, yes, in an academic environment, people with PhDs often want the honorific title of Dr. applied to their name when addressed by students. And sometimes this spills over into other areas of their lives... and when it does, they often come off as pretentious.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

116. But, the ones who properly (in my opinion) used the

title "Doctor" were what we call "doctors."

It's their profession, unlike the Art History Ph.Ds who pretend to the title........................

[jwirr]

32. What he is doing seems to me to be equivalent to writing a paper.

Once you have earned a ph.D I assume you can use it any way you want.

[Lorien]

119. My father is a psychologist who always used "Dr. ______ Ph.D"

when he was practicing. He also taught, authored papers, and was an expert witness for the local prison system. Now that he is retired he sometimes uses the "Dr." but mostly leaves off the "PhD".

[BlooInBloo]

7. (shrug) Education degree. 'Nuff said.

[Viking12]

89. you owe me a beer

I did a spit-take. EdD, Rigor is not thy name!

[BlooInBloo]

109. Gladly.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

118. An Ed.D. is generally regarded - and now the

Ed.Ds will go for my scalp - as a second-rate degree.

The language requirements are less, and that makes a big difference. They are quite looked down on in the academe, which always struck me as terribly funny, the academe being filled, as it is, with the most outrageous collection of poseurs anywhere on this earth.........................

[ncteechur]

127. Yes, I worked my ass off for mine. And I use my Dr. title because I fucking earned it.

As did Dr. Bill Cosby. Unless you know the level of work done, sod off!

[Fire1]

130. I totally agree. n/t

[HeresyLives]

9. He earned a doctorate.

And he has every right to use it. It's hardly pretentious. What's the point in having one if you don't use it?

If you need some social justification for it, think of the role model this helps make him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cosby

[mak3cats]

11. Agree completely (n/t)

[Davis_X_Machina]

28. Better still, another UMass Minute Man...

Julius Erving, who went back after his playing says, and got the last nine credit hours he needed to graduate. He collected his earned BA and honorary D Litt at the same time.

[DevonRex]

39. +1. nt

[FormerDittoHead]

51. Exactly. WTF is some people's problem with the Cos?

Yes, he has honorary doctorates. Like what, TWELVE of them? For Pete's sake. Does everyone have to AGREE with "the line"? I read things all the time here that I'm not crazy about, but I don't go making fun of them (I usually just put them on ignore).

But I'm not objective. I love Bill Cosby. Ghost Dad did suck, though.

[Deja Q]

91. Because a comedian isn't allowed to speak of serious, real topics?

What's that about Senator Franken? Ruh-roh...

The Coz is right - on many issues.

There are some people with AIDS telling others to be in monogamous relationships, abstain, not to cheat, or the other catchphrases. Doesn't mean they're hypocrites... it just means they're too late to save themselves and want the best for others.

[bluestateguy]

12. Normally, I would agree with you

Usually people who flaunt the PhD title are people who have not done much with it (publications, etc.)


But in the Cosby case, using the PhD title would help to deflect criticism from people who say that Cosby is just an actor and has no standing to comment on child psychology or education.

[Bluenorthwest]

99. Ding!

Correct!

[AspenRose]

13. "Doctor" Jill Biden

She earned it.

Cosby earned his.

[Captain Hilts]

15. I would never use that outside of the most professional setting. nt

[Tangerine LaBamba]

120. Same here,

and, if pushed - and I mean truly pushed - I'll put the initials after my name.

But, otherwise, it's a degree, not a title, as I see it..........................

[Forkboy]

16. He did "Chicken Heart"....he can call himself anything he wants after that.

[moc]

18. Excuse me, but I have a doctorate as well.

I don't consider it "puffery" or pretention to refer to myself as Dr. MOC. I earned that title, thank you very much, and so did Dr. Cosby.

[AspenRose]

25. Blood, sweat and tears...and no one will ever be able to take it away from you.

Damn right you earned it. :thumbsup:

Why do people complain about not valuing education in one breath, then accuse a PhD of being "elitist," "uppity" or "pretentious" for using a title they earned in the next?

[moc]

35. Thanks!

:hi:

[DevonRex]

40. I'm hearing "uppity" too in this OP. Disgusting. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

44. No .... you're seeing.

There is no "uppity" here at all.

But of course, you don't see it that way, so your filter pegs me as biased.

I think your making an unfounded statement based solely on your filter is disgusting.

We're even.

[ecstatic]

56. I think you should maybe try to view it from a different perspective

There is still a huge gap in the number of African American doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. and I think whenever one appears in the media, it should not be kept secret because there are kids watching... kids who need to see a diverse set of options of what is possible in life.

[Stinky The Clown]

58. You're making a whole other argument

One that we can discuss if you wish to start a thread about it.

My comment was very specific. Bill Cosby.

Period.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

86. "uppity" and "pretentious" are synonymous.

Synonymous means two different words that mean the same thing.

[Stinky The Clown]

98. Be real clear

What are you implying?

That question has nothing to do with the words.

What, exactly are you implying?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

121. What?

That's about as out-of-thin-air as anything I've ever seen on DU.

Really. Get a grip..............

[BlooInBloo]

117. (shrug) I have my doctorate as well - and in a *real* academic field....

People don't call me "doctor" - and I would ask them not to if they did.

And it'll be a cold day in hell before I call someone with a "doctorate" in *education* "doctor".

Actually, no it won't. It'll just never happen.

[imdjh]

19. It's a fad.

Using titles only in academic settings was a tradition, and they change. Yes, it's pretentious to us, but the real crime is that it's confusing in daily life. If someone is a "real doctor" we want to know it, and if they aren't, well, nice to meet you too.

A lot of ministers started doing this a few years ago, many of whom were busted for having fake drs. of divinity, but which no one seems to check on anymore. What difference does it make?

I should think that most Phd. holders would not introduce themselves as "doctor" for fear of the inevitable question , "Oh, what kind of doctor are you?"

But the Republicans in their desperate quest for respectability have been doing this for awhile too. "Dr. Laura Schlessinger" (dr of physical education I think), and Dr. Judith Reisman (dr. of communications) and of course, Dr. Condoleza Rice (presumably economics).

But when we get back to the religion thing, it all becomes clear. Look at all the people travelling under clerical titles. Does anyone really know or care if the Reverend Lucius Osvald ever went to seminary? Does it matter if Bishop Dr. Alan Goldenbottem had a doctor of divinity as long as he isn't doing physical exams under the title?

[krispos42]

22. He bills himself as "Bill Cosby"

And uses his full name (William H. Cosby, Jr.) as the executive producer or whatever for his stuff.



I haven't seen this "doctor" stuff until the CNN promos began airing.

[ddeclue]

23. Gratuitous, Flame. Bait.

D.DeClue, B.A.E, PPSEL

:P

[DevonRex]

38. +1. nt

[Solomon]

27. The only ones I have a problem with are people like jackass Pastors

who get a "correspondence degree" from some unaccredited school that has no address and then insist that you call them doctor.

[Obamanaut]

55. Or anonymous internet posters with the "my degree is bigger than

his degree" statements.

[Stinky The Clown]

72. Nah ....

... this wasn't a personal attack on another DUer thinly disguised as a response to another.

Nah .... couldn't be.

:hi:

[ShortnFiery]

29. I surmise that something emotionally snapped in Bill Cosby ...

after his son was murdered. He seems much more authoritarian and lacks empathy that he once warmly conveyed to his audience.

Now, I can't stand to listen to him although I loved his past comedy skits and his long running SitCom. :shrug:

[Stinky The Clown]

47. His entertainment value stopped with Fat Albert

He's been increasingly unsympathetic since then.

[DevonRex]

36. He earned it. Are you saying it's "uppity" for him to use the title he earned?

[Stinky The Clown]

49. No. I'm saying he's pretentious.

His skin color is completely irrelevant.

But you go ahead ... make shit up to suit your own agenda.

Was there some need you had to post essentially the same thing twice?

[DevonRex]

54. Webster's definition of pretentious:

Main Entry: pre·ten·tious
Pronunciation: \pri-ˈten(t)-shəs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: French prétentieux, from prétention pretension, from Medieval Latin pretention-, pretentio, from Latin praetendere
Date: 1832
1 : characterized by pretension: as a : making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing) <the pretentious fraud who assumes a love of culture that is alien to him — Richard Watts> b : expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature <pretentious language> <pretentious houses>
2 : making demands on one's skill, ability, or means : ambitious <the pretentious

[Stinky The Clown]

61. Ohferkrissakes

We disagree.

Deal with it.

:eyes:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

75. It's not that you disagree.

It's just that you're wrong.

[Stinky The Clown]

77. Actually .....

.... I simply choose to disengage from that particular poster.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

84. Not uncommon.

People lose an argument, instead of admitting they were wrong the just run away.

[Stinky The Clown]

93. I'm still here

The whole subdiscussion was off target and intended to obfuscate the initial point made in the OP. That Cosby's use of the term "Doctor" was chest beating.

If you want to argue the use of a word as it is commonly understood, to actually have a different meaning, knock yourself out. But it is beside the point. Hence my choice to disengage.

As I am now disengaging from you.

But please feel free to start your own thread to discuss the use of the word "pretentious". I'm sure it will be lively.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

103. Chest beating?

You mean like what gorillas do?

[Jankyn]

43. Among some social and cultural groups...

...attaining a high-level degree like Ph.D. is both rare and the sign of exceptionally hard work. As a result, those few who do manage it may hold on to the "Dr." title (which they have, in fact, earned) more closely than others who are in social groups where such a degree is more common.

My wife is the first person in her family to go to college--as a result, her doctorate (in biology) is such a big deal that many family members address letters to her using the "Dr." as an honorific (even my mother does this, so impressed by my spouse's educational achievement--but then, Mom didn't graduate high school).

While my wife never uses the honorific herself (unless publishing), since almost all her colleagues also have Ph.D.s, it's a huge source of pride for her family. And just for detail, her cultural/social background is white working-class Midwestern (of Swedish, German and Norwegian descent).

I suspect this may be true in other social groups as well, particularly those with a history of having been excluded from educational opportunities and/or had to overcome a lot of obstacles to acquire an education.

[csziggy]

59. +1

[Tangerine LaBamba]

122. Bill Cosby has had aspirations for a long time -

as a dropout, he probably had a vague sense of being incomplete. Especially since he was at Temple University on a football scholarship and that never paid off very well for the school, either, especially when Cosby dropped out.

Don't forget - he was playing a doctor on TV, remember? He was the physician, and his wife was a lawyer, and it suggested to me that he was already aiming to be perceived as something beyond his role as a comedian.

He's always been amusing, the way he is listed in credits as "William H. Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.," a faux pas so egregious, it beggars explanation.

His needs to be admired go far beyond the phenomenal success he had in show business. Of course, the fact that he was screwing around on his wife for years and years aren't to be talked about now, because he's the self-appointed expert on how poor people should deal with their lives.

A multimillionaire who's been wealthy for fifty years suddenly addressing the least fortunate among us, a serial adulterer opining on all things moral, and a stand-up comedian who fancies himself an academic.

He is tiresome and quite full of himself........................

[FLDCVADem]

125. Where do you get that he's a dropout?

My understanding has always been that he had a BA & a master's degree from Temple and his doctorate from UMass.

Is that incorrect?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

128. It is -

I was at Temple University in 1963, which was, I think, the first year he was on the road as a standup comedian - I know that his picture was in the Temple yearbook from the year before I got there, so he must have dropped out in 1962. He was around campus a lot in those days, a newlywed, and Camille was always with him. She spent time with us in a bar near campus called the Ebony Lounge, and she was just terrific. He lucked out with her.

But, no, he never earned any degree at Temple. He did get an honorary degree from the University, but I can't tell you when................

[CBGLuthier]

45. saw a 1971 Dick Cavett interview where he talked about something close to that.

At the time he was still going to school. But he said he used his full name, William H. Cosby, Jr. whenever he took a creative credit such as producer or writer for his mother's benefit.

I know once he got the phd that credit became Dr. William H. Cosby, Jr.

It is a proper title that he fully earned so who is to call it pretentious. I call it pride.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

46. How rude.

Anyone who earns a doctoral degree has earned the honorific.

You can be sure that plenty of other who have earned doctoral degrees, of whatever stripe, call themselves doctors and they too have that right.

If someone is having a coronary and a bystander cries out, "Is there a doctor in the house!" and DOCTOR Cosby shows up with a Jell-O pudding pop to render aid then perhaps you will have cause for concern but until then there is no purpose served by needlessly attacking a man's deserved credentials.

[ecstatic]

48. It's being used appropriately for the setting of the townhall

which will discuss education and other social issues. I don't recall him using that title anywhere else besides academic type settings.

[reflection]

50. I've got no problem at all with Cosby using the title he earned.

:shrug:

[msanthrope]

52. If he's commenting on public policy that touches his degree, then

he should use it. That's not flaunting your credentials, that's supporting your argument.

Me? I prefer 'professor', though I suppose I could insist that my students refer to me as 'Dr.'

[Stinky The Clown]

57. See, here's the thing ......

I bet EVERYBODY knows he has a PhEd. As I said in the OP, that's commendable.

Being **Bill Cosby** is FAR bigger than his credentials.

If you **need** some initials to support your argument, my guess is that the argument is pretty weak. Cosby's views are well known. And often decried by more than a few liberals as being too conservative. That's not universally true, but it is true for some.

Personally, I answer to "hey you" .... "hey asshole" ..... "Stinky" ...... "Dad" ..... lots of names. **None** of them stem from my academic credentials. I do, however, use my professional credentials on professional correspondence or where needed by law.

[vogonity]

73. This topic came up a couple weeks ago

And if I recall, someone here (a frequent poster) was related to the person who created the school or program in which Cosby received his degree.

And they stated that this particular program (University Without Walls I think) gave credit for things like "life experience."

I am not stating that Cosby recieved doctoral credit for "life experience," but it struck me as not being a graduate program that wasn't as convertional as many may expect.

I am not sure, as I am going from memory.

[Stinky The Clown]

76. Heh .... I actually got a degree with "life experience" as a favor to someone!

One of my BS degrees is from a fully accredited University on the East Coast. They were starting a new program in my area of practice. At the time they were putting the program together, they were a client of mine and the dean was an old friend. They were soliciting various established industry people to ask if they would be willing to attend some classes and add to that some "life experience" to make up some of the required credits. They wanted to have a list of established grads to point to. :shrug: They waived tuition, we waived some personal time on some weekends and evenings. Everyone came out ahead. I was no better off for it, but neither was I less. And the degree's legit. The waived/life experience credits were all in my professional area. I had to take some peripheral courses I'd either taken too long ago or had never taken.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

88. Wow, FULLY accredited? That's amazing. Way to go.

[Stinky The Clown]

95. Thanks

[hileeopnyn8d]

100. That is not quite correct.

He didn't complete high school, he joined the Navy and became a hospital corpsman, then got his GED through correspondence courses. He then received a scholarship to Temple University (it has walls) but left before he completing his bachelor's degree.

He qualified for a graduate work at UMASS (also has walls) under a program that gave credit for significant contribution to society and/or their communities.

He received his MA in 1972 and his doctorate in 1976. Temple then granted him his bachelor's degree on the basis of life experience.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

124. That was me,

and I was the one married to a man who worked with the consortium - Union For Experimentation in Higher Education - that came up with the idea of giving academic credit for "life experience" back in the early sixties.

Ever wonder why Cosby chose University of Massachusetts at Amherst? It's one of the hotbeds of Life Experience degree-awarding institutions, that's why. They also harbor the University Without Walls, which bleeds into their graduate programs, so that you get a very odd and inadequate mix of students without the real academic competence and vigor that more traditional educational institutions demand.

In short, U Mass at Amherst giving Cosby an Ed.D. - and I'll wager he didn't have a language component to his degree, which is mandatory at other, more traditional schools - when he wrote his "dissertation" on the Fat Albert series, is laughable.

And his insistence on always adding his initials to his name no matter where he shows up is just pathetic.

How'd you like me if I were Tangerine LaBamba, B.A., J.D., Ph.D.? Would you be unbelievably impressed - which would be goofy - or would you think I was being a bloated, self-important toad - which would be correct?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

123. To me,

you'll always be "Dr. Stinky..........."

[Voice for Peace]

53. I like "Dr. Stinky the Clown"

:)

[FirstLight]

63. +1

me too!

[UndertheOcean]

60. I think it feels weird if it is not used in an Academic Publication, or in the classroom

sure it is pretentious . And I have a feeling that people who have not published much to get their degree flaunt it more. Real Ph.D.'s are busy being immersed in what they do to care.

See , it is not about the Degree , many people manage to get that piece of paper without publishing in a respected peer reviewed journal, and many fail to get tenure , many graduate from inferior schools.




I sign my professional emails as Ph.D. though, hey , got to sell yourself to maintain a good job and good networking connections in the professional world . My personal correspondence is all on first name basis , I even feel using Mr. or your last name sounds weird too in daily life.

[Stinky The Clown]

65. The only pretentioutude I manifest in daily life is avoid the nickname verison of my first name

My given name is (let's say) Vincenzo. It is easy and common for people to assume I go by "Vinny".

My parents disabused me of that when I was a kid. They insisted they chose Vincenzo for a reason (of which I was always aware). And if they liked Vinny, they'd have named me that.

I went through life as Vinny.

When my mother was dying, she actually reiterated her thoughts about my name.

So I now gently correct and insist on Vincenzo. Its old school, but it is what it is. I guess to some that could sound pretentious. So be it. But it is as me as is my eye color or height.

[BlooInBloo]

92. Since I left academia, I don't bring mine up in normal life. It's a pretty resume item, though.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

62. Pretentious

1 : characterized by pretension: as a : making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing) b : expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature <pretentious language> <pretentious houses> Cosby

Cosby earned the degree. The title is correct. Therefore, it is not pretentious.

Oh, and it's Dr. HiFructosePronSyrup to you.

[DevonRex]

64. I tried that too.

Apparently definitions are unimportant. It has also been pointed out a few times above that he bills himself as Bill Cosby or William Cosby, Jr., in his entertainment snd production work but for this forum on education, the honorific is being used because his doctorate IS in education.

All to no avail. :shrug:

[Stinky The Clown]

66. What're you ...... a dog with a bone?

Sorry about that nasty twitching nerve, dude. That must really smart!

:hi:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

74. The only other time I can remember somebody being upset by calling a doctor a doctor...

is when Jesse Helms was upset by "'Doctor' Martin Luther King."

[Stinky The Clown]

78. You need to get out more, Skippy.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

79. Says the guy who misuses the word "pretentious"

...and thinks the title "doctor" is limited to MDs.

[Stinky The Clown]

81. .

:smoooooooch:

[DevonRex]

85. I guess Jesse would have been upset by that. And he would probably

have been upset by Bill Cosby using the honorific he earned, as well.

[Javaman]

67. Dr. Javaman. Master of Coffee, Prince of the Bean and Ruler of the Roast. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

68. Self-proclaimed!

Huzzah, Javaman!

[EFerrari]

69. It sounds better than "Reactionary Asshole".

[Stinky The Clown]

71. Hahaha

But not as appropriate!

[Deja Q]

90. Maybe he's learned from life experience that having a degree is better?

He dropped out of college, yes.

So did Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and hordes of others.

And now I'm boxing myself into a corner: Did I just elevate the Coz and Jobs or did I devolve them, and others, in the process?

Meh. The point is getting famous. Does it matter how.

[mrs_p]

96. i'm in a joint degree program

and only would expect to be called Dr by my clients and in other professional settings. we were told the only time to use outside our profession is to get a good table at a restaurant. otherwise, we look like assholes.

[Skittles]

97. aw fuck it, I'll be honest

I absolutely agree

[Bluenorthwest]

101. So, Stinky. You found a way to list your creds anyway!

Here, for no reason but to list them. My first point or question, regards your use of the name "Stinky the Clown" on a professional basis. I doubt that you do so. I wonder if you understand that being an actor, particularly a minority actor, is sort of like actually being named 'Stinky the Clown". It is a profession that has many prejudices to overcome in the small minds of others, and being a PhD and all, you must have noticed at some point that self promotion and showbiz are conjoined twins. So telling a performer that they should not self promote is like telling a duck not to quack. So not only does he have good reason to hang his resume up before he takes up non entertainment issues, it would also be a natural part of his being to do so.

I wonder if you list your degrees when you are in a professional setting, on your promotional materials, such as a resume? I wonder if you recognize what the professional setting of a public figure looks like? It looks like the whole wide world.

So unless your office door really says Stinky, and unless you really don't mention your training when seeking work or promotion, you are not seeing how things really are here. And again, I note that you listed your degrees for us here, for no reason at all. Except to say that you have them. Cosby's objectives seem a tad higher than that if you ask me.

[Stinky The Clown]

107. Uh .... no I didn't.

[bluedigger]

102. Nope, not pretentious.

The Cos earned his degrees like everyone else, at Temple and UMass, that I know of. (My aunt taught a couple of his kids in public school while he was at UMass grad school. He didn't impress her, lol.) It makes perfect sense to use his honorific when he engages in public discussion in his area of expertise. When one achieves fame in an unrelated field, it is acceptable to establish ones' bona fides.

I work with many folk of all educational levels, and we find pretentious (and mock) those who feel the need to put their honorific on routine paperwork and their email signature block. In the real world your credibility is defined by your job title, not your educational achievements. (Academic and health care are different situations, with different rules.)

bluedigger, BA :rofl:

[RetroLounge]

105. What a whiney pantload...

RL

[redqueen]

106. You forgot "self-aggrandizing".

:D

[Stinky The Clown]

108. Ooooooh yer so cute

:cheekpinch:

[RetroLounge]

131. Don't get "uppity" with me...

:D

:hi:

RL

[madinmaryland]

110. Nice post, Dr. Stinky!

:rofl:

My Dad had a PhD and the only people that could call him "Dr." were his students. He was either addressed as "Mr." or by his first name.

Funny, but I just learned his nickname from 70 years ago, just within the last several weeks!

[BoneDaddy]

126. Doesn't matter what the degree is...what matters is how much power do you give

that degree in your life? If it is an award for his personhood, I could care less...go Bill!

Does it mean I think he is qualified in any area worthy of a true doctorate, no. So I temper what power I give Bill Cosby.
Edited for grammar