Hard to believe it (or maybe not), but we are now four days into the backlash over the “offensive” piece that was published Saturday in the Wall Street Journal where writer/lecturer Joseph Epstein suggested Jill Biden drop the “Dr” from her name because she was not actually a medical doctor.
The media, Democrats, leftists in academia, Mrs. Biden’s comms team, and Mrs. Biden herself all condemned Epstein’s column, accusing him of being a misogynist pig for daring to make such a suggestion, even though in the very same piece Epstein was an equal opportunity critic when it came to both women and men (including male celebrities) who he believed should not hold the title of “doctor.”
He also gave his reasons for why he felt “the prestige of honorary doctorates has declined” over the last few decades, which was also conveniently ignored in the mad rush to cancel him.
In any event, on day four of the Great December Outrage of 2020, MSNBC columnist and noted “feminist” Liz Plank took to the Twitter machine to express her solitary with Mrs. Biden, and to urge women everywhere to stand up to the patriarchy by boldly changing their Twitter handles to “reflect their credentials”:
Can every woman who sees this change their handles to reflect their credentials?
— Liz Plank, MSc. (@feministabulous) December 15, 2020
Ms. Plank’s plea went over about as well as the Obama administration’s attempts at hashtag diplomacy during his eight years in office. In other words, it didn’t go well:
If I dropped out of high school, can you recommend some initials to put at the end of my name that will make me worth something as a person?
— Kelly DDS MD PHD MFA ETC (@keplyq) December 15, 2020
I’d jokingly add “dropout” if this website wasn’t so full of elitist snobbery.
I’m proud I left uni to go explore the world of politics and cultural chaos first hand.
A degree can be valuable but there are plenty of idiots with them, and plenty wise souls without. https://t.co/hZRviBKosG
— Lauren Southern (@Lauren_Southern) December 15, 2020
Absolutely not. A degree doesn’t define me. Y’all are absolutely ridiculous, insecure clowns. https://t.co/IpdYclSzSy
— Fletch (@FletchMatlock) December 15, 2020
Way to exclude women who didn’t get to go college.
How about we fight sexism instead of promoting credentialism? https://t.co/0wWlBsqMTO
— melissa “cancel student debt” byrne (@mcbyrne) December 15, 2020
My abuelos never graduated high school
I owe my success to them
Academic credentials are not a measure of your worth
— Andrew J. Padilla 🇵🇷 (@apadillafilm6) December 15, 2020
Arguably the best response was from the Twitter user who pointed out that this debate was NOT a gender issue:
Nothing about this issue is gendered. https://t.co/lRtwtptupf
— You Should Have Voted For Jo (@colorblindk1d) December 15, 2020
As I noted before, the debate over the use of the title “doctor” by the Ph.D and Ed.D crowd is not really my hill to die on, but cancel culture and the dishonest playing of the woman/sexism card over these types of criticisms are. And the “sexism!” cries in this debate are insulting and demeaning to true feminists everywhere.
Yes, people who work their way through college and earn their degrees have much to be proud of and should be able to wear their titles like a badge of honor. But there’s a certain pretentiousness and arrogantly self-serving about demanding people address you by technical titles that don’t apply in the real world beyond academic settings.
