Why is it a problem to address a Senator as a senator?

[delalluvia]

I don't think the General was intending to be disrespectful at all; in fact, quite the opposite.  And I, personally, would not have been offended or bothered if he had called me ma'am.  But if Senator Boxer wants to be addressed as "Senator," that's her prerogative, I suppose.

I agree, but then I'm not a senator.  She probably feels she's earned the title.  Why would it be not correct to want to be called by a title one feels one has earned?  Most people I know who have a doctorate want to be called 'doctor'.  It would be as if a woman doctor stopped someone and asked them to call her doctor.  It happens in college.

Plus it's psychological.  In customer service, you get more respect from a customer if you say something like

"Hello, my name is Ms. Vanderlaan, how can I help you?"

than if you say

"Hello, my name is Sherri, how can I help you?"

[Jeff Wrangler]

I agree, but then I'm not a senator.  She probably feels she's earned the title.  Why would it be not correct to want to be called by a title one feels one has earned?

I'm sure it's not incorrect, but, apparently, at least somebody thinks the senator from California made a political misstep to make an issue of it.

Most people I know who have a doctorate want to be called 'doctor'.  It would be as if a woman doctor stopped someone and asked them to call her doctor.  It happens in college.

Sure enough, but even that can vary. When I was in graduate school, the professors in my department felt it was ... hmmm ... I guess parvenu would be the appropriate word ... to be addressed as Doctor. It was just assumed that if you were teaching where they were teaching, you had a Ph.D. 

Plus it's psychological.  In customer service, you get more respect from a customer if you say something like

"Hello, my name is Ms. Vanderlaan, how can I help you?"

than if you say

"Hello, my name is Sherri, how can I help you?"

Sure enough, but I doubt this applies in the case of the general and the senator. Of course, if Senator Boxer needs the reinforcement of being addressed as Senator, then I think she may have more issues than how General Walsh addressed her. 

[delalluvia]

I'm sure it's not incorrect, but, apparently, at least somebody thinks the senator from California made a political misstep to make an issue of it.

Makes you wonder why they thought it was a misstep.

Sure enough, but even that can vary. When I was in graduate school, the professors in my department felt it was ... hmmm ... I guess parvenu would be the appropriate word ... to be addressed as Doctor. It was just assumed that if you were teaching where they were teaching, you had a Ph.D.  

True, but not in undergrad.  And definitely not in the science areas.

Sure enough, but I doubt this applies in the case of the general and the senator. Of course, if Senator Boxer needs the reinforcement of being addressed as Senator, then I think she may have more issues than how General Walsh addressed her.  

Perhaps.  She probably felt it put her on more equal footing.  Well, if the senators are going to be professional and address him by his rank, why can't he be professional and address us by our rank?

[Jeff Wrangler]

If Barbara Boxer is so insecure that she needs the lip-service respect of title when she's already clearly getting the respect due to her position as a senator, maybe she should be voted out of office. ...

[delalluvia]

If Barabara Boxer is so insecure that she needs the lip-service respect of title when she's already clearly getting the respect due to her position as a senator, maybe she should be voted out of office. ...

Wanting to be addressed by your proper title is only lip-service and a sign of insecurity?  Hmmm, maybe I should tell my doctor or a judge or a police officer that next time I see them....

[Jeff Wrangler]

Wanting to be addressed by your proper title is only lip-service and a sign of insecurity?  Hmmm, maybe I should tell my doctor or a judge or a police officer that next time I see them....

Whatever. ...

You deliberately ignored the part of my post concerning the fact that the general was not being disrespectful to the senator, and a senator who is sitting up on a dais and looking down on a general, who is not treating her disrespectfully, and still feels compelled to lecture him like a schoolmarm on how to address her, clearly has issues. ...

[serious crayons]

Whatever. ...

You deliberately ignored the part of my post concerning the fact that the general was not being disrespectful to the senator, and a senator who is sitting up on a dais and looking down on a general, who is not treating her disrespectfully, and still feels compelled to lecture him like a schoolmarm on how to address her, clearly has issues. ...

To me, it sounds like the senator overreacted by making a big deal out of it. Then her political opponents overreacted even more by making an even bigger deal out of it.

[Jeff Wrangler]

To me, it sounds like the senator overreacted by making a big deal out of it. Then her political opponents overreacted even more by making an even bigger deal out of it.

I think she did, too, and it was a political misstep because by so doing she handed ammunition to her opponents.

[delalluvia]

Whatever. ...

You deliberately ignored the part of my post concerning the fact that the general was not being disrespectful to the senator, and a senator who is sitting up on a dais and looking down on a general, who is not treating her disrespectfully, and still feels compelled to lecture him like a schoolmarm on how to address her, clearly has issues. ...

Well, since we don't know what the general was calling the senators who were men, we really don't know how 'respectful' the general was being at all.  Maybe he WAS supposed to be calling her Senator?

That she wants to be called by her title is a 'lecture'?  Whatever..

[mariez]

Sure enough, but even that can vary. When I was in graduate school, the professors in my department felt it was ... hmmm ... I guess parvenu would be the appropriate word ... to be addressed as Doctor. It was just assumed that if you were teaching where they were teaching, you had a Ph.D. 

   I was thinking the same thing!  Years ago, I was an adjunct at a community college, teaching a business law class.  There was another adjunct, who insisted that his students refer to him as "Dr. ____."  Now, although attorneys have a "juris doctor" they are never, never addressed as "Dr." It simply is not done.  And I remember all the eye-rolling that was done behind his back.  I also remember how shocked he was when he asked me how my students addressed me and I told him that they called me by my first name.  Some of the students were older than I was at the time!