Honorary Doctorate Degree and Title?

Um. Devil in a Blue Dress type LA?

 

I think embracing Dude-ism requires absolutely that one have a means of self-expression. Kinda like the ukulele in The Lebowski movie. Aside from music, the biggest boost to my own Dude-ism was taking a series of writing courses at my local uni. I got to be a lot of people, in those courses. Some of them actually made it into print.

@nosborne48 I know you're serious about learning classical piano. That's a great means of self-expression. Dude-ist expression can be freewheeling, but it doesn't have to be free-form. Structure is cool. And lasts. One of my best creative semesters was during the writing program. I was taking two courses - advanced poetry, and accounting (to finish up a business program I'd completed most of.)

Our poetry instructor was marvellous. She was a 'new formalist' herself, writing in established forms, with prescribed metres and rhyme schemes etc. Structure all the way -- somewhat like accounting requires. I found there was a synergistic undercurrent, with the structure of accounting and the accent on structure in formal poetry. Poem and balance sheet were both series of "logic blocks."

The effect stimulated me to do my best in both. Nothing wrong with a little (or even a LOT of) structure with your Dude-ism. Whatever works and makes you a happy, confident Dude.

 

If you like - either that or "Zoot Suit" type LA as here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_Suit_(film)

Both are gritty - and good. Walter Mosley is a hell of a writer - and Denzel Washington and Edward Jmes Olmos both have acting chops in spades. If you go the "Zoot Suit" road, here's where to get your wardrobe. https://elpachuco.com/product-category/zootsuits/

Sure you don't want to start with LA Law? Nice office, good pay, no guns.

 

My 2nd ex, a lawyer herself, doted on LA Law. I could never figure out how they paid for all that expensive office space and support staff with just a half dozen cases open at a time!

The only one seeming to make any real money was the tax partner who was, of course, Jewish. (Eyeroll)

 

No eyeroll here. They had several Jewish lawyers, partners and otherwise. At least one was a Goy playing a Jewish character, others were Jewish full-time. so to speak.

Alan Rachins - Douglas Brackman
Michael Tucker - Stuart Markowitz
Corbin Bernsen - Arnie Becker
Alan Rosenberg - Eli Levinson

I remember Alan Rachins (Douglas Brackman), particularly. He was a 40-ish man, my age at the time, going through mid-life stuff, as was I. He displayed his character's numerous faults with real style. Faults remarkably similar to my own. Several times I watched him and said "OMG! I AM Douglas Brackman!

 

@nosborne48 Just checked - two Goyim - Michael Tucker and Corbin Bernsen. I was surprised to learn that Mr. Bernsen is not Jewish. Once in the series, as Arnie Becker, he met some old friends, who were all Jewish. His Yiddish was very fluent. Sounded nearly as good as Mandy Patinkin's. A shtern iz geboyrn! (A star is born!)

 

Gosh, what memories. I was trying a LOT of criminal cases in those days. Work was scarce and lawyers were plentiful in Santa Fe so pay was low.

Not true now! Whether because of the Law School is a Scam Movement, the stratospheric cost of a J.D., or just demographics as destiny, New Mexico has a shortage of lawyers statewide and large parts of our rural territory are "legal deserts". Lawyer salaries have gone up substantially.

All of this comes too late for me. At 70 I'm enjoying my state pension and Social Security. I'm not complaining about the timing though. My J.D. was basically free.

 

And by the way, Johann...No trial lawyer could ever be a proper Dude. Deceit is our stock in trade!

 

Is there no hope for those who have retired?

 

Nope.

 

I'll just dip in the waters a bit here, I feel as long as there is no misrepresentation going on, it's fine. When I finally decide I've had enough collecting masters degrees, I will have to decide on a doctorate.

I am not interested in calling myself doctor in common parlance because it does package a lot of assumptions with it, may be misplaced as ego or high-moral standing over others in some ways.

I have found that people in HR settings will look you right in your face like a pug a smile at you, all the while thinking "OMFG look how much education this b--tard has, I'm not hiring them, they will either leave soon or take my job!" and tbh they are probably right, I WILL take their job, just for good measure, then leave anyway. I refuse now to ask for raises when I can simple jump ships and make plenty more. Gotta love the tech game.

Now one caveat I will mention here is a certain few famous people have collected more honourary degrees than my cat has teeth, and their contributions to society are ummmm let's say dubious political caressing fake enviro stuff/wokeness topics to the public and ruling class, but basically with no substance. I guess in these cases I wanted to tell them to stick to astrophysics, mechanical engineering, or whatever your chosen career was and stop stepping outside the bounds of your knowledge. But would I be immune to wheelbarrows of cash? Probably not. So meh let's see. I'll let you know when the wheelbarrow comes around.
Then I will be like I AM DOCTOR HOUSECAT!

 

I agree with most of your post, but my experience with the people receiving honorary doctorates has been quite different.

 

That's fair

 

Stepping outside the bounds of your chosen profession to study toward a degree in a totally different field is kegit. A mechanical engineer studying English literature can thus understand other ways of knowing, understand why the lawyers on the project ask the questions the way they do, and tends to advance knowledge overall.

 

Well, it does depend on what country you're in. In Germany, for instance, it's a crime to use the title "Doktor" when you're not entitled to it.