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Why Are People No Longer In Office Addressed As If They Are?

landtuna

landtuna

I put this in TV because most of the examples of this behavior I've seen on TV but I have heard it on radio as well.

It refers to addressing a person who once held a position being addressed as if they were still in that position. For instance, someone interviewing ex-president Bill Clinton will almost always address him as Mr. President or President Clinton. Mitt Romney is no longer governor of MA but he is constantly addressed and referred to as "Governor Romney".

Retired sports coaches are invariably addressed as "coach" even though they may have been retired for decades. Their players seldom get that honor. People who earn Doctorate degrees, with the exception of medical practitioners, are almost never addressed as "doctor".

Why izzit? ???
 
That depends on the person, I guess. I had a Sociology professor in college who had earned her doctorate and insisted on being addressed as "Doctor", and would correct students who failed to do so. I don't know about outside of the class, but given her personality, I would imagine it was understood in social situations. I hear former coaches addressed as "Coach" quite often, and a retired pastor is often addressed as "Pastor" or "Reverend" until the day he or she dies. Judges often continue to be addressed by their titles; Sandra Day O'Connor is often still called "Justice O'Connor".

President, Governor, Senator, Justice or Pastor is a highly honored position, and by continuing to address former member of those ranks with their titles, people show honor to those offices, if not to the former officeholders as well.
 
dhett said:
That depends on the person, I guess. I had a Sociology professor in college who had earned her doctorate and insisted on being addressed as "Doctor", and would correct students who failed to do so. I don't know about outside of the class, but given her personality, I would imagine it was understood in social situations. I hear former coaches addressed as "Coach" quite often, and a retired pastor is often addressed as "Pastor" or "Reverend" until the day he or she dies. Judges often continue to be addressed by their titles; Sandra Day O'Connor is often still called "Justice O'Connor".

President, Governor, Senator, Justice or Pastor is a highly honored position, and by continuing to address former member of those ranks with their titles, people show honor to those offices, if not to the former officeholders as well.
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Addressing and referring to a person who holds and/or held such positions is a courtesy and a sign of respect, but when somebody demands being addressed by their title and makes a big deal of it, then the situation becomes humorous (and maybe somewhat sad). I recall the Barbara Boxer incident, in which the Senator admonished the military officer for not addressing her as "Senator"... the "I worked hard for this title" thing was fun to watch.
 
I think with former presidents it's a protocol kind of thing. As far as anyone else, it's a sign of respect unless that person doesn't want you to call them that (I think I recall Tom Landry not wanting to be called "coach" after he was unceremoniously fired by Jerry Jones in 1989). If they demand to be called that (as in the "doctor" example earlier in this post, or "Senator" Babs Boxer) then there's a perceived (on their part) level of "respect" that's not being given, and for probably a good reason.
 
Not only are they addressed by titles that they no longer have, they are usually addressed by the most recent title that they have had, even if it is a "lesser" title than another one that they might have previously held.
 
I was wondering this myself whenever I see Bill Clinton on tv being refer to as 'President Clinton' more often than 'former President Clinton'. Okay, I get the whole showing respect to former officeholders deal. But I think this practice might confuses some foreigners and others who don't pay enough attention to government into thinking there's multiple presidents running the country at the same time instead of just one. I guess I'm underestimating their awareness of how our government works more than I should though.
 
It's true of higher-ranked military officers as well. Former Colonels,Generals, and Admirals are usually addressed with their title as long as they live, long after retirement.

I've noticed that it's common in news stories to mention "former Senator______," former Congressperson_____," but former Governors are generally addressed as "Governor" without the 'former.'
 
Lkeller said:
It's true of higher-ranked military officers as well. Former Colonels,Generals, and Admirals are usually addressed with their title as long as they live, long after retirement.
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Military officers never lose their rank (unless disciplined) even though they are not on active duty. They are subject to recall at the direction of the CinC. It is therefore correct to address them as "General" (etc.) even though most times it is followed by (Ret.) to designate they are not on active duty.

Lkeller said:
I've noticed that it's common in news stories to mention "former Senator______," former Congressperson_____," but former Governors are generally addressed as "Governor" without the 'former.'
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You've landed on the difference I may have not made clear.

In addressing the person it is most often by their former job title, i.e., "Senator". But if referring to the person (such as in a story) it is most often as you stated "former Congressman.....".

Since "senator" or "congressman" is a job title rather than a profession (or should be) it seems nonsensical to me to address someone no longer in that position as if he/she were.

My old journalism professor could probably answer this effortlessly but, alas, he is not with us any longer.
 
First, a personal note: I, too, have a Ph.D. but am not fussy about
whether I'm addressed as "Doctor" or not; I think that anyone, other
than a medical doctor or dentist, who flatly demands to be called "doctor"
has a tremendous ego.

As for addressing former officeholders by title, it's tradition but it's also
a gesture of respect for people who hold high office, especially former
presidents and governors; I could no more call Bill Clinton "Bill" than I could
call George Washington "George." BTW, it was Washington who instituted the
practice of calling the President "Mr. President"; he didn't want some flowery
title or anything smacking of Britain. And yes, I'm sure someday we'll have a
"Madame President."
 
I understand what you are saying bpatrick....er, I mean Doctor Patrick. ;D But I would think, since the USA does not officially have royalty that a return to simply "Mr. Washington" would suffice once out of office.

I'm certainly not all fired up about the issue but really just asking if there was some unwritten "law" among media people that mandated it (since it seems to be pervasive).
 
Maybe a little off topic but almost all the media addresses Arnold Palmer as "Mr. Palmer." Once in awhile ok...
 
The one that really bugs me--and I'm a conservative--is the TV news types fawning
all over Newt by calling him "Mr. Speaker." (You know who you are, Hannity.)
Come on media, knock it off! That was years ago.

And yes, I'd be bugged to no end by a similar media addressing of Pelosi.
 
landtuna said:
I understand what you are saying bpatrick....er, I mean Doctor Patrick. ;D But I would think, since the USA does not officially have royalty that a return to simply "Mr. Washington" would suffice once out of office.

I'm certainly not all fired up about the issue but really just asking if there was some unwritten "law" among media people that mandated it (since it seems to be pervasive).
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I think it's more tradition than anything else; you'll sometimes hear the media address a politician as, for example, "Mr. Obama" even though he or she is still in office.
 
oldiesfan6479 said:
The one that really bugs me--and I'm a conservative--is the TV news types fawning
all over Newt by calling him "Mr. Speaker." (You know who you are, Hannity.)
Come on media, knock it off! That was years ago.

And yes, I'd be bugged to no end by a similar media addressing of Pelosi.
Click to expand...

It's doubly annoying considering he was BOOTED OUT of that office by his peers.
 
From the AP style guide:

Use Dr. only for physicians, dentists members of the paramedical professions (osteopaths, optometrists, chiropractors, podiatrists etc.) and clergymen who hold earned or honorary doctorates.
Click to expand...

AP style also omits salutory titles (Mr., Mrs., etc.) and does not appear to have a rule regarding titles a person previously held (e.g. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor). This is based on my now used bookstore copy of the AP Style Guide that dates from almost 20 years ago
 
oldiesfan6479 said:
So it's OK to address the NBC News political director as "F. Chuck Todd"? ;D
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For a period of time, the General Manager of WCVB-TV channel 5 in Boston was S. James Coppersmith. One day he was the guest on WBZ radio's evening talk show when David Brudnoy was still there (he's since deceased). I addressed Mr. Coppersmith as 'S'...so he got the impression I might have been hostile (me...hostile?). He probably thought I was a plant for channel 6 in New Bedford/Providence because I asked him about WCVB's objection to a CP request to boost channel 6's signal in the Blackstone Valley near the MA/RI bordah.
 
I have known a dozen people (or so) in my life that initialize their first names and it always sounded kind of snooty to me. Several people I've known initialize their first name but then use that name commonly when being introduced. I don't get that.

I suppose there are those who just prefer their middle name though. The only time I would use their first initial is if that was the name they were commonly addressed by. "F. Scott Fitzgerald" comes to mind.
 
When it comes to titles, I don't think anyone still living can top Lamar Alexander, currently the senior senator from my home state of Tennessee. Let's see, he has been...

governor of Tennessee
president of the University of Tennessee
secretary of education under the first president Bush
senator from Tennessee
Since he is a lawyer, that would make him a doctor of jurisprudence, although you don't typically refer to lawyers as "doctor." (Usually referred to by other names that I can't print here! ;D)

In my state's history, one of our best-known native-son presidents, Andrew Jackson, actually preferred his title of "general" over that of President.
 
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