Wall Street Journal draws backlash over op-ed urging Jill Biden to drop 'doctor' title

[laylalex 7,300]

The op-ed, written by essayist and short-story writer Joseph Epstein, argues that "'Dr. Jill Biden' sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic" and opens by addressing President-elect Joe Biden's wife as "Madame First Lady-Mrs. Biden-Jill-kiddo." 

 

"Your degree is, I believe, an Ed.D., a doctor of education, earned at the University of Delaware through a dissertation with the unpromising title 'Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students' Needs,'" Epstein writes. "A wise man once said that no one should call himself 'Dr.' unless he has delivered a child."

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/529961-wall-street-journal-draws-backlash-over-op-ed-urging-jill-biden-to-drop-doctor

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

Everything here that looks like a controversy.. isn't.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

1 hour ago, laylalex said:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/529961-wall-street-journal-draws-backlash-over-op-ed-urging-jill-biden-to-drop-doctor

I saw this as well and said it is dumb for that person to write. But I will say that maybe it should be clarified that she has her doctorate in education not as a doctor of medicine. I saw where Whoopi was talking about making her the surgeon general because she is a Doctor only to find out she has her doctorate in education.

[yuna628 9,736]

1 hour ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

I saw this as well and said it is dumb for that person to write. But I will say that maybe it should be clarified that she has her doctorate in education not as a doctor of medicine. I saw where Whoopi was talking about making her the surgeon general because she is a Doctor only to find out she has her doctorate in education.

I think the debate largely is that people that have doctorates have the right to be called doctor and there is a distinction between a Dr. and an M.D; of which there are still some that get confused about this in layman's terms. It really is of no issue, or at least shouldn't be. She is a Dr. and she earned that title. Husband works with educational doctors and medical doctors every day and there is never any confusion or disrespect between them. The author on the other hand... wow he is petty and obnoxious in tone (he's written some real clunkers before so he has not improved with age). I'm surprised it got past the editor.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

36 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

I think the debate largely is that people that have doctorates have the right to be called doctor and there is a distinction between a Dr. and an M.D; of which there are still some that get confused about this in layman's terms. It really is of no issue, or at least shouldn't be. She is a Dr. and she earned that title. Husband works with educational doctors and medical doctors every day and there is never any confusion or disrespect between them. The author on the other hand... wow he is petty and obnoxious in tone (he's written some real clunkers before so he has not improved with age). I'm surprised it got past the editor.

I never ever said she didn't have the right to be called doctor at all. Quite the contrary in fact. I believe that anyone that earned a MD or Phd should be called a doctor. I currently work with two doctors as of right now and in my last job I worked with more than I could shake a stick at, and they are all earned non-medical doctorates. I am saying that people need to be aware that she has earned her doctorate in education and not medicine. 

[laylalex 7,300]

I just have to wonder if this would have been written about a man. I mean, if the issue is "only medical doctors should have the title Dr." I cannot imagine all the many, many men in academia who hold doctorates would be willing to give up an honorific they have earned. I didn't realize anyone thought Dr. Biden was a medical doctor, because she has always made it clear she works in a community college setting. Whoopi Goldberg is so fully up her own behind I'm not surprised she made the mistake. Nobody thought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a medical doctor!! 

 

The one that DOES irritate me is Jenna Ellis calling herself "Dr. Ellis" because she has a JD. That isn't a doctorate, it's a professional qualification. Just because it's a Juris Doctor degree doesn't make it a doctorate. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

3 minutes ago, laylalex said:

I just have to wonder if this would have been written about a man. I mean, if the issue is "only medical doctors should have the title Dr." I cannot imagine all the many, many men in academia who hold doctorates would be willing to give up an honorific they have earned. I didn't realize anyone thought Dr. Biden was a medical doctor, because she has always made it clear she works in a community college setting. Whoopi Goldberg is so fully up her own behind I'm not surprised she made the mistake. Nobody thought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a medical doctor!! 

 

The one that DOES irritate me is Jenna Ellis calling herself "Dr. Ellis" because she has a JD. That isn't a doctorate, it's a professional qualification. Just because it's a Juris Doctor degree doesn't make it a doctorate. 

 

[TBoneTX 46,261]

BS = we all know what this is

MS = More of the Same

PhD = Piled Higher and Deeper

MD = Massive Debt

[Dashinka 24,848]

Isn't this the same debate that happens between MDs/DOs and DDSs?

[yuna628 9,736]

15 hours ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

I never ever said she didn't have the right to be called doctor at all. Quite the contrary in fact. I believe that anyone that earned a MD or Phd should be called a doctor. I currently work with two doctors as of right now and in my last job I worked with more than I could shake a stick at, and they are all earned non-medical doctorates. I am saying that people need to be aware that she has earned her doctorate in education and not medicine. 

Maybe people just need to be more educated? There's a reason why there's an M.D. after a name. Whoopie had a moment of stupid, so do other people.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

1 hour ago, yuna628 said:

Maybe people just need to be more educated? There's a reason why there's an M.D. after a name. Whoopie had a moment of stupid, so do other people.

But you know as well as I do that people will still get that wrong. Also this is a funny take on everything: 
 

 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

15 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

BS = we all know what this is

 

 

    Some say it's a circumvention of the site's profanity filter. 

[laylalex 7,300]

2 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

    Some say it's a circumvention of the site's profanity filter. 

Oooooo

 

You're right, you know. 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

1 hour ago, laylalex said:

Oooooo

 

You're right, you know. 

 

  Sad but true. Henceforth the only TOS compliant option is to type out the entire phrase for the degree.

[laylalex 7,300]

18 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

  Sad but true. Henceforth the only TOS compliant option is to type out the entire phrase for the degree.

Al's undergrad degree was a BSc. Perhaps we can use that instead.