The Wall Street Journal faced backlash this weekend after publishing an op-ed that took aim at Jill Biden.
Written by Joseph Epstein, the piece in question calls on the future first lady to drop the "Dr." title from her name, as she is not a medical doctor. The op-ed, titled Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if You Need an M.D, was immediately slammed as misogynistic, elitist, and a waste of publication space.
"Madame First Lady—Mrs. Biden—Jill—kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the 'Dr.' before your name?" Esptein's piece begins. "'Dr. Jill Biden' sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic. 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.' A wise man once said that no one should call himself 'Dr.' unless he has delivered a child. Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc."
Epstein is a published author and a current Emeritus Lecturer of English at Northwestern University. According to the school's website, he obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago; however, his op-ed points that has also received an honorary doctorate, which has led some of his colleagues to refer to him as "Dr." Epstein, suggesting he doesn't embrace this title because "in contemporary universities, in the social sciences and humanities, calling oneself Dr. is thought bush league."
He then goes to say the Ph.D has lost its prestige because it is much easier to obtain nowadays than in the past.
"As for your Ed.D., Madame First Lady, hard-earned though it may have been, please consider stowing it, at least in public, at least for now," Epstein wrote. "Forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill, and settle for the larger thrill of living for the next four years in the best public housing in the world as First Lady Jill Biden."
Twitter users, including many scholars, were quick to criticize Epstein's take. Some slammed the piece as sexist, while others speculated the author was simply jealous that Biden had earned her doctorate through hard work rather than it being given to her.
Biden holds a bachelor's degree and a doctoral degree from the University of Delaware, and received her master's degrees from West Chester University and Villanova University.
She has also worked in education for about three decades, teaching at the high school level as well as a psychiatric hospital for adolescents. Biden is currently an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College and says she intends to continue teaching there even after her husband, president-elect Joe Biden, takes office next month.
"I teach a lot of immigrants, and refugees. I love their stories, I love who they are as people, and I love the fact that I can help them on their path to success," she told CBS News back in August, before being asked if she wanted to teach as a first lady. "I hope so. I would love to. If we get to the White House, I'm gonna continue to teach. It's important, and I want people to value teachers and know their contributions, and lift up the profession."
