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first lady and "dr." jill biden
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Anonymous
| Did anyone see Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden on the View. (Yes, sick toddler, housebound yesterday!) Ok, it's probably odd that this bothered me, but the show made a big deal that Biden was "Dr." b/c she has a doctorate in education. I'm a huge Obama fan (both the pres and Michelle) and it just bugged me that here is Michelle Obama - Ivy educated lawyer (yes, doctorate of law: JD) and she's cool being Mrs. Obama. On the other hand there's this less-well-educated professor at a community college being called "Dr." It just struck me as pompous and lame on the part of Biden. After all, could anyone really argue that she's more impressive than Michelle? |
Anonymous
| No one called her Dr. Jill until her husband became VP. Bothers me too. I went to college where we addressed our professors as Mr. or Mrs, not Dr. |
Anonymous
Seriously? I have never heard of a college where professors are addressed as anything other than "Professor" or "Dr." (if they indeed have a doctorate.) In fact, I know that this is a common irritant for professors, to be called Mr. or Mrs. Jill Biden is well educated, and the fact that she teaches at a community college doesn't lessen her credentials. Anyway, I don't get what your beef is. J.D's are traditionally not referred to as "Doctors" and in, fact, the true doctoral degree for lawyers is the Doctor of Jurisprudence. |
Anonymous
| Everything 8:41 said. I don't care about titles, so I'm not going to be pissy that Jill is called "Dr." and Michelle isn't |
Anonymous
|
OP,
You write that the show made a big deal of this. Did Professor Biden? Maybe they did because the First Lady has gotten so-o-o-o-o much attention, including on this very show, and they wanted to heap some on Miss Jill. How was SHE? Not clear! |
Anonymous
I teach at this less educated professor's college and find your snideness regarding her education AND her job quite mean spirited. I suppose they could have referred to Mrs. Obama as Mrs. Obama, Esquire, if that would make you happy? Or "Mrs. Obama, Lady Lawyer." Respecting DR. Biden's work does not devalue Michelle Obama's. |
Anonymous
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I went to a college where most of us addressed professors as "Professor" or by their first names. I think that's pretty standard. I did have a classmate who called our professor "Dr X." Her parents were professors at a less-competitive institution, and it did seem a little grasp-y to me. I went to grad school and UVA, and the professors who were most insistent on the use of "Dr" were the folks in the ed school; I'm trying not to draw conclusions about lesser academic titles.
I'm not sure how one ranks two master's degrees and an EdD in relation to a JD. My perspective is no doubt bent because my dad is a professor who has all sorts of opinions about the appropriate use of titles. |
Anonymous
| JDs are not addressed as Dr., but PhDs are. Get over it. |
Anonymous
| Who cares if you went to an Ivy or a community college? Isn't that what America is about? I think it is a very DC-minded view to think that lawyers trump any other working person. |
Anonymous
| UVA makes a BFD about addressing professors as Mr (or Ms, I suppose -- I was there in grad school so I called most of my professors by their names). Mr Jefferson, he of the slave-raping, wasn't entitled to a higher title, and no one could be better than TJ, so no one got a higher title. |
Anonymous
That's because she earned her PhD in 2007, not long before the inauguration. |
Anonymous
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I am a professor in the humanities, and the most common title is "Professor (Last Name)." However, in the sciences, especially in the medical sciences, addressing PhDs (or other doctorate--not the JD) by "Dr. (Last Name)" is the common culture. At several research universities (R-1 level), as opposed to liberal arts colleges, addressing any PhD by "Dr. (Last Name)" may be common.
UVA has it's own quirky tradition of calling everyone "Mr. or Ms. (Last Name)." If you went to UVA, you know that is uniquely Jeffersonian thing. As for OP's comment that Prof. Biden is "less well educated" -- I wonder why you would think that. Doctorates are a lot harder to earn than JDs, generally speaking. And the fact that you look down on community colleges is infuriating. There are so, so many people who are able to attain post-secondary school education because of community colleges. If you were to look at the students at community colleges you would see that they are filled with working class, poor, and immigrant parents who are trying their hardest to get a leg up in this world. The professors who teach at community colleges are extremely dedicated people who make a difference in the lives of people who could most benefit from higher education. |
Anonymous
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As for OP's comment that Prof. Biden is "less well educated" -- I wonder why you would think that. Doctorates are a lot harder to earn than JDs, generally speaking. And the fact that you look down on community colleges is infuriating. There are so, so many people who are able to attain post-secondary school education because of community colleges. If you were to look at the students at community colleges you would see that they are filled with working class, poor, and immigrant parents who are trying their hardest to get a leg up in this world. The professors who teach at community colleges are extremely dedicated people who make a difference in the lives of people who could most benefit from higher education. Well said. Get over yourself OP. You are probably a JD! |
Anonymous
| My take (as someone with a PhD) is that there is a distinction between someone referring to a PhD as "Dr." and the individual themselves insisting on it. The former doesn't bother me in the least one way or the other; the latter makes me roll my eyes. I have a colleague who corrects any email that refers to him without the honorific title of Dr., and he just seems incredibly silly. But I don't know why you'd blame the VP's wife because the TV hosts wanted to make a big deal about her PhD. I think Jill Biden seems like an amazing woman, and I think it's fantastic that her current position draws more attention to community college education. |
cuzimawesome
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So because she works at a community college, she's less educated? Damn. For somebody to be called Doctor, they need their PhD... which would mean that they're... I don't know... pretty damn educated. I went to a community college, and the teachers there were called Professors or Doctor. Just because they don't teach at an ivy league school, does not mean that they are any less educated. I majored in the sciences, and I can tell you, I called my professors, "Doctor". The head of the Biology department at my community college was a well-renowned biologist... and contributed to some important research and wrote for peer-reviewed medical journals. Your remark reeks of snobbery. |