The Wall Street Journal column about Jill Biden is worse than you thought

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

In one of my favorite episodes of “The West Wing,” Abigail Bartlet, a trained surgeon and the fictional first lady, speaks with a White House attorney about a looming scandal. The lawyer addresses her as “Mrs. Bartlet,” to which she responds with the iciest correction: “Dr. Bartlet.”

The issue was not about her credentials; nobody could take away her Harvard MD. The issue was about her identity. She used to have one of her own, but now she had only what had been conferred by her husband. She missed herself.

“Madame First Lady — Mrs. Biden — Jill — kiddo: a bit of advice on what might seem like a small but I think is not an unimportant matter,” writer Joseph Epstein began. “Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name? ‘Dr. Jill Biden’ sounds and feels a touch fraudulent, not to mention comical.”

His reasoning, as it were: Jill Biden is not a medical doctor. In her 50s, she acquired an EdD from the University of Delaware; she now works as a community college professor, and plans to continue through her husband’s presidential term. For Biden to use the title of “Dr.” is highfalutin and misleading, Epstein wrote, as “no one should call himself Dr. unless he has delivered a child.”

-more-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/dr-jill-biden-wall-street-journal/2020/12/13/e43883a4-3d45-11eb-8db8-395dedaaa036_story.html

[unblock]

1. "A touch fraudulent". They just love accusing democrats of fraud, especially when there is none.

[catrose]

2. How could it possibly be fraudulent? She did the work; the school awarded the degree.

On the other hand, we have a president (but not for long!) who paid someone to take his entrance exams, lied about his academic achievements, threatened the school if they released his grades (which tells me they were bare passing minimum--and he probably didn't do the work to achieve that). But Dr. Biden is fraudulent? Because honorary degrees are awarded? And he thinks the PhD process today aren't as rigorous? And he can get published?

[exboyfil]

6. The honorary degree thing was bizarre

He is an English "professor", but what is the point of his essay. No one thinks honorary degree earners should use the honorific, but virtually all academics and researchers use it in all of their professional communications. They even use it in social circle discussions that are of a more formal setting. Also many (most) students use it as a sign of respect.

My Father in Law was Dr. ____ until I asked what I should call him after I married his daughter and then I started using his first name.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. He's compared feminist scholars at various times to "pit bulls" and "dykes on bikes"

And now NW University is distancing itself from him.

I'm curious who put him up to writing that piece. He's a known misogynist.

[unblock]

7. He thinks it's fraudulent because she's a woman.

No one complained about people holding doctorates using the title dr. when nearly all of them were men.

Now that plenty of women get doctorates, too, suddenly there's a push to say hey, that's not really worthy of a title in front of your name.

So now if the title dr. Is to be reserved exclusively for medical doctors, then he can say it's "a touch fraudulent" because she's not a medical doctor.

Of course, she never represented herself as a medical doctor, so there no deception at all. It's only in the mind of Joseph Epstein, ASS that there's any fraud.

[HariSeldon]

12. When I signed on as a patient with my primary care doctor

I thoroughly researched the physicians who were available and had more experience with my particular conditions. I called to set up an initial appointment, and the receptionist asked "You do know Dr. King is a woman? Will that be a problem?" (I'm male and did knew beforehand she is a woman.) My response was, "It's only a problem if Dr. King prefers to only have female patients." And I always refer to her as Dr. King (unless disambiguation is necessary, then a first name is added).

[unblock]

14. I've been asked that question as well

My answer is the gender of my doctor doesn't matter at all, but whether or not they trim their fingernail does....

[Guilded Lilly]

3. He doesn't matter.

[exboyfil]

4. I wonder if he ever said this about Dr. Kissinger?

In addition to holding the Doctorate, she is also an academic. That strengthens her use of the title. Virtually every researcher with a doctorate is referred to as Doctor. Dr. Kissinger refers to himself as Dr. on his website.

Condi Rice also refers to herself as Doctor.

Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier is referred to as a doctor in his White House biography (Trump's Director of Science and Technology).

Three of the economists on the Trump WH Council of Economic Advisors are referred to as doctors.

It seems that now that we have a woman First Lady that has accomplished this feat - it suddenly becomes an issue for Mr. Epstein.

[Joinfortmill]

5. She is Dr. Biden

He's jealous.

[keithbvadu2]

9. A dentist?

[2naSalit]

10. Well, she DID deliver a child...

She has a daughter.

[gopiscrap]

11. Epstein can go fuck himself

btw when I was 19 on the side of a road in Kentucky early in the morning I delivered a child and I sure as hell don't consider myself being able to be addressed Dr. But Dr. First Lady Mrs. Biden sure as hell does deserve it, she did the work and got the grades to earn it, so fuck off Epstein

[Solly Mack]

13. How hard is it for people?: President Joe Biden and First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden. Easy as can be.

That's how they should be introduced when together.

When it is only Dr. Jill Biden, you introduce her as the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden.

Unless, like Epstein, people want to marginalize and attack Dr. Jill Biden for whatever fucked up reasons they have, there is no issue here.

First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden.

Simple. Easy. Accurate.

[stopbush]

15. If you earn a doctorate degree in any field, you are a doctor. If you are awarded an honorary

doctorate degree, you are a doctor.

If your doctorate is in medicine, you are an MD.

Unless Dr Biden referred to herself as an MD, I don't see the problem.

[flotsam]

16. "no one should call himself Dr. unless he has delivered a child."

First of all it is "he or she" and I would argue she did in fact deliver a child in 1981 as can be attested to by Ashley Biden.

[AmyStrange]

17. She fucking SMACKED his ASS DOWN!!!

-

"And finally: If he wants to get technical about it, Biden did deliver a child, out of her own uterus."

YEEEha!!!!!
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[AmyStrange]

18. This was so GREAT that I had to post again...

-

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEha!
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[AmyStrange]

19. NOTICE: "No one should be called a Doctor unless "HE" has delivered a baby."

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What a fucking sexist Moron.


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[onetexan]

20. +1 -K&R