Recently, The Wall Street Journal published a rather egregious article in which writer Joseph Epstein called on incoming First Lady Dr. Jill Biden to stop using the honorific “Dr.” in front of her name, no matter her doctorate in education. In a feat of arrogance, Epstein actually mocked the title of Biden’s dissertation, characterizing that title — “Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students’ Needs” — as “unpromising.” Does he think that community college students are somehow less deserving of doctorate-level attention than other individuals? Former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke out in defense of Dr. Biden on Monday.
Referring to her time in the White House while Dr. Biden served as Second Lady during the Obama administration, Michelle commented on Instagram as follows:
‘For eight years, I saw Dr. Jill Biden do what a lot of professional women do—successfully manage more than one responsibility at a time, from her teaching duties to her official obligations in the White House to her roles as a mother, wife, and friend. And right now, we’re all seeing what also happens to so many professional women, whether their titles are Dr., Ms., Mrs., or even First Lady: All too often, our accomplishments are met with skepticism, even derision. We’re doubted by those who choose the weakness of ridicule over the strength of respect. And yet somehow, their words can stick—after decades of work, we’re forced to prove ourselves all over again.’
The former First Lady spoke about what she called the “better example” from Dr. Biden. She added as follows:
‘Dr. Biden gives us a better example. And this is why I feel so strongly that we could not ask for a better First Lady. She will be a terrific role model not just for young girls but for all of us, wearing her accomplishments with grace, good humor, and yes, pride. I’m thrilled that the world will see what I have come to know—a brilliant woman who has distinguished herself in her profession and with the life she lives every day, always seeking to lift others up, rather than tearing them down.’
Check out her post below:
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The former First Lady is hardly alone in her reaction to the Wall Street Journal piece. Biden spokesman Michael LaRosa insisted that if the paper “had any respect for women at all,” then they “would remove this repugnant display of chauvinism… and apologize to” Dr. Biden. Paul Gigot, who leads the editorial page for the paper, complained in response to criticism that “these pages aren’t going to stop publishing provocative essays merely because they offend the new administration or the political censors in the media and academe,” outrageously implying that concern about the widespread distribution of a sexist whine-fest about an incoming First Lady is somehow an example of dastardly wannabe censorship at work.
