Posted on 12/16/2020 6:07:01 AM PST by Kaslin
The pro-Biden media is obsessing over the tiniest kerfuffle imaginable. Jill Biden likes to be addressed as "Dr. Jill," based on the doctorate in education she got in 2007. We've known about her insistence on this appellation since at least 2009, because servile journalists often indulge it. It's harmless to call her Dr. Jill.
But the elites exploded in fury when The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by Joseph Epstein, who professed that this honorific "sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic." It was certainly comical when Whoopi Goldberg insisted on "The View" in March, "I'm hoping Dr. Jill becomes the surgeon general. ... (S)he's a hell of a doctor. She's an amazing doctor."
This controversy is so miniscule, and yet some censorious lefties insist this gender crime of an article should have been aborted before it was promulgated. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans tweeted: "this essay should never have seen the light of day. And it's an entirely different dynamic when an entitled male tries to tell an accomplished woman how she should present herself."
Deggans did not take this abortifacient approach when NPR's racial-matters blog, "Code Switch," promoted a book called "In Defense of Looting." So, mocking the "Dr. Jill" thing is more objectionable than looting businesses?
Washington Post gender and society columnist Monica Hesse devoted an entire column to why Epstein's sexist article should have been spiked. She concluded by advising Dr. Jill: "Whatever happens, for pity's sake, don't listen to this weird, grumpy, elitist man. Don't ever sit in the White House and wonder what happened to your old sense of self. Be Dr. Biden. Be Dr. Biden forever."
This incident also illustrates the yawning gap between the media's treatment of the Bidens versus its treatment of the Trumps. Hesse is too feminist to feel anything sympathetic toward first lady Melania Trump. Two years ago, she trashed Trump for the White House Christmas decorations. Melania was just a "former model" who couldn't bake good cookies.
The Post gender columnist proclaimed, "The more obvious explanation, though, is the one exemplified by the terrifying arboreous formation currently looming in the White House's East Colonnade: Melania is just plain bad at this."
A year ago, Hesse professed that maybe Melania "has no plan at all -- that she wakes up and throws on pussy bows and sloganed jackets, and nobody surrounding her thinks to say, Hmm? That the rest of the country is merrily rolling toward pandemonium, and meanwhile she's again planning her holiday decorations six months in advance?"
She concluded the piece saying: "I have wondered whether Melania Trump is a genius. I have wondered whether she's an idiot. I have wondered why I wonder about her at all." And she thinks this is a lighter touch than Joseph Epstein's?
On his MSNBC program, disgraced anchor-faker Brian Williams attacked Epstein's "spectacularly patronizing" article. Andrea Mitchell added, "Perhaps he should know better than to mess with a woman who body-blocked a protester from getting to her husband last March."
Just three weeks ago, Williams came out of a commercial break playing a secret phone recording of Melania Trump apparently saying, "Who gives a f--- about Christmas stuff?" alongside video of her receiving a White House Christmas tree. "Just a little 'Christmas with Melania' moment," Williams cracked as James Carville grinned from ear to ear on camera.
These partisan publicists will deliver as many swift kicks to Melania Trump as they can before they form a mob demanding all must observe the letter and the spirit of the Doctor Jill rules. We're going back to a "Princess and the Pea" level of hypersensitivity on first lady coverage.
She taught English at my shitty public HS in Wilmington.
Dr. my ass...
(She had nice legs in 1993...nice tan in the Winter too)
I don’t care if the First Adulteress goes by Doctor or not, do you?
She is an arrogant woman.
Hints and small examples leaked out during the campaign and election.
Now, it’s full bore Hillary.
She can’t be that bright, what was up with her running on stage, throwing herself at ole joe and hugging and kissing him after his dark speech the other day?
> It’s harmless to call her Dr. Jill. <
Not it’s not. It’s misleading. The only people who are called “doctor” in everyday conversation are medical doctors.
And as a side note, I’m extremely wary of people who call themselves “doctor”, and then use their first names. It’s weird and creepy. It would be like an admiral introducing himself as “Admiral Bob”.
Dr. Phil, did you get that?
It’s always good to see deep “on the mark” analysis from Whoopi.
There was a pilot at FedEx who also insisted he be called “Dr.”
Pilots said openly to him, “Is that doctorate in Education like being an admiral in the Salvation Army, and how do you get one without even having to take a foreign language with that degree?
Note for Dr. Jill — you can’t demand respect, you earn it.
From the same people who call PDJT Mr. Trump instead of President Trump.
Petulant adult children, mentally stuck in puberty, with PA systems.
Democrat, thy true name is Hypocrite.
Kayleigh McEnany should troll the eneMedia and insist on being addressed as Dr. Kayleigh, owing to her Juris Doctorate
This is separate and distinct from very highly accomplished PhD's who people take it upon themselves to address them as “Dr”. Most often those highly accomplished people are slightly embarrassed and say “thank you, but just call me xxxxxx”.
The less "prestigious" the PhD, the more unnecessary the use of the honorific, and the more strident the demands to addressed as “Dr”, the more issues the person has. For some reason, people with a Doctor of Education (EdD), which is what Dr Jill Biden is, are some of the obnoxious and strident of the "THAT'S Dr. to YOU" syndrome
I Don’t know if it’s still like this, but it used to be that people in Germany; especially women, used to address the wife of Doctor as Frau Doctor, or the wife of a Professor as Frau Professor. My mother used to be one of those and I could never understand that.
Reminds me of my great aunt Mary- one of my cousins had completed his PhD in something (it’s so long ago I can’t remember what). Anyhoo- before we all sat at the dinner table his mother introduced him as “Doctor Gary”. My aunt chimes in with “yeah- he’s a doctor alright- just not the kind who helps anybody.” Wiped the smile right off my aunt’s face.
There are different types of Doctors, not just medical doctors. Take for example Thomas Sowell who received his Doctorate from University of Chicago in 1968. Don’t tell me you deny him the title because you are ignorant?
Thats one of the big problems with the Left--they bestow themselves with titles they don't deserve and demand you acknowledge it--like Obama's Nobel Peace prize.
If “Dr.” Jill is that smart then I guess she is ALSO fluent in 5 languages?
“Don’t tell me you deny him the title because you are ignorant?”
Curious: What’s your title? (So we can address you properly.)
30 years ago I was awarded my doctorate in biochemistry.
As a new Ph.D. I was curious as to when it was appropriate for me to use the “Dr.” title.
But first:
The history of the term Doctor is quite long, but the first Doctors were academic Ph.D.’s Doctors of Philosophy. This identified them as rigorous scholars. This is why still today it is customary in all medical school graduations that Ph.D.’s graduate first before the new MD’s and Lawyers (JD’s). To show their academic superiority.
When I graduated with my Ph.D. I was the first graduate called and hooded. Ph.D.’s graduate first, followed by MD’s followed by JD.s. MD and JD classes are traditionally seated near each other so that they will recognize each other when they meet professionally - later on.
Practitioners of medicine usurped the title for themselves in the late 19th early 20th century as a way to drum up business within their social circles. “May I introduce you to Dr. Bly he can treat your “lady problems”. The Doctor title gave them the credentials to be identified as “highly educated”. Not to be left out at of the party and ever wanted to drum up business, lawyers soon followed with their own “Doctor” title. Then followed by everyone else wanting to be called “doctor”.
As for the use of the Doctor title I consulted Judith Martin A.K.A. Miss Manners as she is the arbiter of all things etiquette.
Her response was somewhat of a disappointment but one that I understood and have followed for all of my professional career.
In short: only medical doctors (MD) use the doctor title in non-professional settings – period.
The use of Dr. for Ph.D.’s is very limited. Dr. is used only in professional settings and then it should be used sparsely as to not seem to be putting on airs or rubbing it in, after all in academics simply everyone has one, don’t they?
Although disappointing it makes sense. Imagine having to explain when asked to treat a heart-attack victim that you are not a medical doctor but have a Ph.D. in ancient medieval studies.
To refer to Jill Biden as Dr. outside of academia is inappropriate and a misuse of the title, and says a lot about her.
In my experience Ph.D.’s who insist on being called Dr. are usually 1) not that bright, 2) have self-esteem issues, or 3) have a doctorate in some obscure non-rigorous discipline.
In order not to insult the other Ph.D.’s on the forum I’ll leave it up to the reader to imagine what disciplines those might be.
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