It’s Not Playing A “Card” To Point Out Bigotry
By: Kim Bonnette
Tags: Gender Equality, Women, Education, Race, Politics

It’s Not Playing A “Card” To Point Out Bigotry

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? “Dr. Jill Biden” sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.

Thus begins Joseph Epstein’s December 11, 2020 Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal. Before addressing the factual inaccuracies in his piece, I’ve got to address what should be blatantly obvious but apparently isn’t.

Pro-Tip #1: Danger! You’re about to leap headlong into problematic territory if you find yourself addressing a professional with whom you aren’t personally acquainted as “kiddo”.

Zucker, J. (Director). (1990). Ghost [Motion picture]. Source: Giphy

To use her first name without permission and then go on to infantilize her with the term “kiddo” is completely patronizing regardless of the recipient’s gender, race, or age. Regardless of the rest of his argument, I’m amazed that such casual disrespect meets the editorial standards of a major newspaper’s editorial board.

My Background

I am amongst the underpaid but highly necessary ranks of adjunct professors. Some adjuncts have to cobble together multiple part-time positions due to the limited availability of full-time, tenure-track professorships. I’m lucky though. My day job as a software engineer pays the bills quite nicely, so the small amount I receive as a part-time instructor of undergraduates is icing on the cake.

I’m not in it for money or prestige — I do it because I love teaching. I enjoy playing a role in the development of the next generation of professionals in my field. I remember fondly all that I learned from my own professors as well as from mentors in my career, and I feel compelled to pay it forward.

I have a B.S. in Computer Science from UMBC (University Of Maryland Baltimore County), an M.S. in Computer Science from MIT, and an M.A. in Government from Regent University.

On To The Substance…

Epstein’s basic argument is that the soon-to-be First Lady, Jill Biden, Ph.D., shouldn’t use the honorific “Dr.” before her name because reasons…

He implies that a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) is on par with the an honorary degree. Simply put, he is wrong.

In American higher education, there is a category of degrees known as “terminal degrees”. These earned degrees indicate that the recipient has attained the highest level of education for their field.

The most well-know of these degrees for academics involved in research is the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy). Academics and their students absolutely refer to these individuals as “Dr.”

However, the Ph.D. isn’t the only kind of earned doctoral degree. There are also professional doctorates such as Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Juris Doctor (J.D.) for law, and yes — Doctor of Education (Ed.D.).

Epstein states that only medical doctors (M.D.s) should be referred to as “Dr.”. He is wrong yet again. Even within healthcare, there are multiple types of doctors — Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Dental Surgery, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Optometry, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine to name a few — and they are all called “Dr.”.

With all of that said, everything I’ve said refers to verbal references — how we speak someone’s name. If I’m speaking about someone with a doctoral degree (whether medical or not), you would absolutely be correct to say, “Dr. Jill Biden loves to run.” To do so isn’t pretentious — it’s respectful of all the work they put in to earn that degree.

For formal writing, the grammar rules would be as follows:

The person’s title: First Last, Degree (e.g., “Jill Biden, Ed.D.” or “Sanjay Gupta, M.D.”)

(e.g., “Jill Biden, Ed.D.” or “Sanjay Gupta, M.D.”) A greeting/salutation: Dear Dr. Last (e.g., “Dear Dr. Biden” or “Dear Dr. Gupta”)

Honorary doctorates are usually bestowed upon commencement speakers, notable alums, or wealthy donors. You may get to wear a doctoral hood for a day. You’ll probably receive a fancy certificate. However, the recipients of honorary doctorates shouldn’t be referred to as “Dr.” — period. To do so is like stolen valor for veterans. If you didn’t put in the work, you don’t get to use the honorific.

The Real Problem Here

So, I’ve explained all of the factual inaccuracies of Epstein’s Op-Ed. (Sorry for the details — I warned you I love to teach.)

Now, here’s the real heart of the matter. Context matters. We have a man with no advanced degree telling a woman with a doctorate that she should put aside her credentials. He belittles her actual academic achievement by comparing her to entertainers and corporate executives whose honors aren’t worth the paper they’re printed upon.

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. 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.

Why?

Why is it okay for mediocre men to question the qualifications of women who have achieve more?

Why does a major newspaper think the uninformed and inaccurate opinions of this unknown man are newsworthy enough to publish? Do they not understand the English language enough to know that an honorific is not the same as an honorary degree?

Why do some people think being provocative for provocation’s sake is praiseworthy and that freedom of speech means freedom from the consequences of their speech?

Image by rebbeccadevitt0 from Pixabay

Mocking Jill Biden’s accomplishments is childish and petty. Doing so says more about the writer and the editorial board who approved his piece than it does about Biden.

I don’t presume to know their hearts or their intentions, but I can say that this sort of treatment isn’t new for working women and people of color.

Calling men of color “boy”

Referring to women as “sweetheart” and “honey” and “kiddo”

Being overly familiar such as using someone’s first name or a nickname without being invited to do so

Questioning someone’s qualifications and implying that they’re a token who filled a quota

Ignoring honorifics altogether.

This. Is. Not. New.

Couching such behavior as a friendly request, a joke, or being edgy and politically incorrect doesn’t erase the bigotry of such words. Epstein’s Op-Ed was misogynistic. Pointing that out isn’t playing the “gender card” nor is it “identity politics”, and the outcry isn’t “cancel culture”. (I mean, how can we cancel someone that no has even heard of?)

Pro-Tip #2: If you want a quick way to identify bigotry — whether your own or someone else’s — reverse the identity of the subject and see if it makes sense and seems reasonable.

Could you see journalists mocking President Bill Clinton for being called “Mr. President” just because his wife became “Senator Clinton” and then “Secretary Clinton”?

Have you heard anyone suggesting that Doug Emhoff remove the “J.D.” after his name or stop practicing law because his wife, Senator Kamala Harris, is now the vice-president elect?

Has anyone questioned President Trump’s citizenship or right to run for elected office because his mother was an immigrant?

Food for thought…