In a conversation held probably in the late 1940’s or very early 1950’s, a teacher informed a mother that her youngest son “would never amount to anything.”
Today, that youngest son is the proud owner of a doctorate in engineering.
He’s traveled all over the world, worked for the Honeywell Corporation, and taught at a large university.
He is one of a handful of people in the country that knows what he knows.
He put in the hard work to earn the title “Doctor” of engineering.
But, according to the author of an recent op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, [note: you may need a subscription in order to read] he has no right to call himself “doctor”.
Why?
Because he hasn’t delivered a baby.
That is the opinion of one Joseph Epstein, author and former lecturer at Northwestern University.
The thrust of his opinion piece was to suggest, nay urge, soon-to-be First Lady Jill Biden to drop the “Dr.” from her name.
Dr. Jill Biden holds an Ed.D. She teaches at the community college level. Her students refer to her as “Dr. B.” She plans to continue teaching once her husband takes office as President.
For whatever reason, Epstein took it upon himself to tell her: “Madame First Lady — Mrs. Biden — Jill — kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is not an unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name?”
He goes on to say that “Dr.” “sounds and feels fraudulent” and also “a touch comic”.
He disparages her dissertation title, “Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students’ Needs”. Apparently, he’s not familiar with the usual titles of dissertations, which do not run along the lines of “Fifty Shades of Gray” or “Gone With the Wind” or “The Bluest Eye”.
He states that he taught at Northwestern University for 30 years without a doctorate or advanced degree.
Then, he goes on to lament about the “relaxation of standards in university education” and also about the decline in the “prestige of honorary doctorates”.
He concludes by ordering Jill Biden to “please consider stowing [your title] at least in public, at least for now. 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.”
So let’s see: a man with only a B.A. who taught English at the university level for 30 years, who has not lectured at Northwestern since 2003, who does not even know Jill Biden, thinks he has the authority to tell her to drop a title from her name that she has honestly earned through hard work?
I guess that means that since only those who have delivered children can call themselves “Dr.,” that means, first of all, that all teachers should forthwith refer to themselves as “Mr.” or “Ms.” or [first name].
Second of all, since not all doctors are OB/GYNs and therefore, not all doctors deliver babies, I guess psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, and most surgeons should forthwith drop the “doctor” from their names as well.
The blowback from this article has been swift and punitive. Northwestern immediately stated that they did not agree with Epstein's opinion, and Northwestern's English department has removed Epstein's profile from its website. And if you Google "Joseph Epstein op-ed", you'll find a smattering of articles from NPR, Psychology Today, Chicago Tribune, and others roundly condemning the piece as "misogynistic" and "out of touch".
Dr. Jill Biden became an Ed.D. after 15 years of hard work while raising a family and supporting a husband. I've gone to school while being a wife and mother, and it is not easy. (Unlike Dr. Biden, I did not finish. I attempted court reporting school, and due to a number of factors, had to stop.)
Part of the reason for the blowback has been the tone of the article. Epstein referred to Dr. Biden as "kiddo" and told her to "forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill" (did he intend to be a poet with that phrase?) and enjoy the "larger thrill" of being First Lady. This from a man who has never held public office and definitely will never be a First Lady.
I've also seen the question asked: Would such an article have been written about a man? Let's think about it: When a woman becomes President, if she's married to a man who holds a doctorate and who is not a medical doctor, would he be ordered to "forthwith drop the doc" and enjoy the next four years as First Husband, or First Man, or whatever he will be called?
Somehow, I doubt it.
Dr. Jill Biden earned her degree through hard work, stress, and figurative -- if not literal -- blood, sweat, and tears. (While I doubt the blood part, the sweat and the tears are probably true.) When one has earned a degree, one has earned the right to use the title conferred by that degree. When you receive a diploma, part of the wording on that diploma includes "all the rights and privileges thereof", including the right to use the title conferred upon you.
Oh, the man I referred to at the beginning of this article?
The son whose mother was told he'd never amount to anything?
The one who holds a doctorate in engineering?
Who traveled all over the world and taught at a university and worked for Honeywell?
Know how I know about all that?
He's my uncle.
I will proudly introduce him as Doctor Jerry Sergent, Ph.D.
In other words, Mr. Epstein, that's Doctor engineer to you!
Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.
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