That’s Dr. Jill Biden to you

| 3:08 pm EST December 12, 2020
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The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed today that was so absurd, I hesitate to even mention the columnist’s name, because he doesn’t deserve to be mentioned. In it he insists that because incoming First Lady Jill Biden had a Ph.D. and not a medical doctorate, she should cease referring to herself as “Dr. Biden.”

First, as a practical matter, this is incorrect. Whatever you think of a Ph.D. in general, Jill Biden is a college professor. It’s a profession where it’s commonplace for people with a Ph.D. to be referred to as “Doctor.”

Jill Biden isn’t a politician. She didn’t run for office and wasn’t elected to office. She’s not suddenly changing careers. While she’s willing to carry out the ceremonial role that’s traditionally been expected of the President’s spouse, she’s still a professor. Why would she be expected to change her title?

Second, and more importantly, the entire WSJ op-ed openly reeks of sexism. At one point the columnist refers to Jill Biden as “kiddo,” which gives you an idea of the overall tone. It gives away that the author isn’t even trying to make a point about Ph.D. titles in general; he’s just using it as an excuse to take a sexist shot at a powerful woman who probably intimidates him. This kind of crap only makes me more likely to refer to Jill Biden as “Dr. Biden” when I write about her.