Inside the title fight: The war of words over Dr Jill Biden points to an unfair history

“Each day on twitter there is one main character,” a user of the microblogging website once wrote. “The goal is to never be it.”

Sage words, to be sure. But earlier this week, Wall Street Journal columnist Joseph Epstein comprehensively failed to live up to this lofty ideal.

If you managed to miss it: Epstein, a writer and editor, called on first lady-elect Jill Biden to cease using the title “doctor”. Because Biden’s doctorate was not attained in a medical discipline, Epstein argued, her use of that title was “fraudulent, even comic”.

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Epstein (no relation) further addressed Biden as “kiddo”, cursed degree inflation, and bemoaned what he saw as declining academic standards.

It is difficult to imagine how things could have gone…