An article in the Wall Street Journal, considered sexist, called it fraudulent that the future first lady, who has a doctorate in education, uses the title of doctor.
But the use of the term is not exclusive to physicians.
A little over a month after becoming the new first lady of the United States, Jill Biden is at the center of a controversy that began with a criticism in one of the most important newspapers in the country and that quickly turned into a debate on freedom. of press and sexism.
On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal ran a column titled Is There a Doctor in the White House?
Not if you need a medical doctorate.
The text begins like this:
“Madame First Lady, Mrs. Biden, Jill, child: advice on something that might seem like a small matter, but I don't think it is unimportant.
Is there any chance that I will remove the 'Dr.'
before your name?
'Dr.
Jill Biden 'sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a bit comical. "
[What are the plans of Jill Biden, professor and doctor of education, as first lady?]
The person speaking in a tone that could be interpreted from fatherly to haughty is writer and former Wall Street Journal contributor Joseph Epstein, who will turn 84 in January (Biden is 69).
Epstein criticizes the future first - who has been a teacher of English and writing - for using the title of doctor.
Is it fraudulent to call yourself a doctor when you are not a doctor? The short answer is no.
To say that it is fraudulent to use the title of doctor without being a medical professional is
false
.
Does Jill Biden have the right to identify herself as a doctor?
By the linguistic definition, yes, you can.
Joe Biden's full speech after his confirmation as president-elect
Dec. 15, 202013: 48
President-elect Joe Biden's wife calls herself Dr. Jill Biden, even though she's not a medical doctor, but a professor.
Rather, the suffix comes from the Ph.D. in Education she earned from the University of Delaware in 2007, a couple of years before her husband became Barack Obama's vice president.
As his column makes clear, Epstein resents that Jill Biden uses a title that must be reserved for him for medical doctors.
However,
in the United States it is common for people with doctorates in other subjects, especially education, as is the case with Jill Biden, to call themselves doctors.
Who has the right to call himself a “doctor” is a long-standing debate, even within medicine.
According to a 2017 survey, a female doctor introduces a male colleague using formal titles 95% of the time while when a doctor introduces a female colleague, they use professional titles only 49.2% of the time.
Outside of medicine, the degree is used by many women with PhDs as a tool to demand the same recognition and respect that their male colleagues receive.
In Latin America, the title is used beyond medicine without major qualms.
In Peru, for example, they call lawyers "doctor" and in Colombia, the diminutive "doctorcito" is even an expression of affection or respect.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word "doctor" comes from the Latin word for "teacher," and was originally used to refer to a small group of theologians who had the approval of the Catholic Church to speak on religious subjects.
It was not until the end of the 14th century that, with the Renaissance, the word "doctor" also began to be used to refer to established academics and practitioners of medicine.
"Both qualified academics and doctors can use it legitimately,"
the dictionary concludes.
Thus, from a strictly technical and linguistic point of view, her Ph.D. in Education and the origin of the word give Jill Biden the authority to identify herself as a doctor without implying an attempt to defraud people.
Beyond the debate over the use of the title, Epstein's column has generated rejection for its tone, which many have accused of being sexist.
[Jill Biden is a difficult teacher, according to the students who evaluated her]
After reviewing how, in his opinion, the title has been discredited with less demanding academic processes and the distribution of honorary doctorates to artists without greater academic merit or discredited, or famous journalists, Epstein ends his column recommending that Biden save his title at least in public, at least for now.
"Forget the small emotion of being Dr. Jill and be content with the greater emotion of living the next four years in the best public residence in the world as first lady Jill Biden," he recommends, as one who sends a woman to take care of her House.
Jill Biden contributors criticized the column, calling it a "sexist attack."
Michael LaRosa, spokesman for the next first lady, tweeted to the Wall Street Journal: "If they have any respect for women, they would withdraw this disgusting display of chauvinism and apologize to her."
Elizabeth Alexander, the communications director for the next first lady, wrote: “Sexist and shameful.
Be better WSJ ”, referring to the newspaper.
Jill Biden prepared supply packages for US soldiers stationed overseas on December 10, 2020 in Washington DC J Scott Applewhite / AP
Political
figures also sympathized with Jill Biden, in particular two women who have already held the title of first lady: Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama
.
“Her name is Dr. Jill Biden.
Get used to it, ”Clinton wrote.
In his message of support accompanied by a photo of both, Obama wrote on his Instagram account: “We are seeing what happens to many professional women, be their title Dr. Miss, Mrs., or even First Lady: Too often , our achievements are met with skepticism, even mockery.
We are questioned by those who choose the weakness of ridicule over the strength of respect ”.
Biden's response to Epstein has been short, but clearly refers to the gender divide: "Together we will build a world where our daughters' achievements are celebrated rather than diminished," he wrote on Twitter Sunday.
For its part, the WSJ has defended the column it published "on a relatively minor issue."
Paul A. Gigot, editor of the newspaper's editorial page, equated Biden's team's response with the troubled relationship between the press and the Donald Trump White House.
“There is nothing like playing the race or gender card to stifle criticism.
It's the left-wing version of Donald Trump's tweets referring to the 'enemy of the people,' "Gigot said.
The editor also recalled that even since at least 2009, the issue of Jill Biden's professional title has been in the news, citing a Los Angeles Times article in which Joe Biden explained that his wife was tired of her second-class status when they received correspondence addressed to “Senator Biden and Mrs. Biden,” and that was why she decided to get her Ph.D.
“These pages are not going to stop publishing provocative essays simply because they offend the new government or the political censors of the press and academia.
And since it is time to heal, we will give Biden's people a second chance for their attacks on us, ”Gigot concluded, making it clear that they do not plan to either withdraw the column or apologize.
This article was translated by Andrea López-Cruzado thanks to the FactChat agreement, coordinated by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) with the support of WhatsApp. The objective of the project is to bring better information in Spanish. You can receive this and other checks directly by WhatsApp by clicking here or by registering the number +1 727-477-2212 and writing "Hello" in the first message. We will wait for you.
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