Generally speaking, people in this country tend to get in trouble when they try really hard to be different. This seems like just a sociological issue, but it actually digs much deeper. Yet, we feel this strange desire to break ourselves into different classes of people. Don’t get me wrong, there are people with different socioeconomic backgrounds, but that doesn’t mean that there are different classes of people. When I was college, we broke ourselves into fraternities. There was absolutely no diversity on my college campus, so someone created some by breaking us into five fraternities. We were forced to create differences that, frankly, didn’t exist.
So, what things exist today that drive our bus to Classism Town? There are lots of things, but I have spent years coming up with the single most annoying, and divisive element of our society: calling your doctor, doctor.
In my opinion, there is nothing that makes less sense than calling your physician, Dr. So and So. Yes, I understand that it is a sign of respect, but it drives classism. Doctors have many specialized skills that the “average” person doesn’t have, but why can’t I call my doctor, Larry? My clients call me, Pete. I call my accountant, Tom. I call my attorney, Matt. I call my president, Barry. Why can’t I call my doctor, Larry?
We are all functional members of this society. We all have found our role. We have defeated many (not all) laws of hate, we have put a man on the moon (allegedly), and we (Al Gore) have invented the internet. But, why can’t I call my doctor, Larry? It’s stupid.
Speculation alert: Do you think it has anything to do with the outrageous sums of money that physicians used to get paid by insurance companies to do mundane procedures? Do you think it’s the fact that they get to where white coats? What do you think?
Peter Dunn a.k.a. Pete the Planner® is an award-winning financial mind and a former comedian. He’s a USA TODAY columnist, author of ten books, and is the host of the popular radio show and podcast, The Pete the Planner Show. Pete is considered one of the foremost experts on financial wellness in the world, but he’s just as likely to talk your ear off about bass fishing.