I forgot to cross-post this yesterday, but I ripped the LA Times a new one over at Global Comment for its lousy reporting and hit piece on my girl Jill Biden. And yes, that is DR. Biden to you.
I have to wonder, if we were discussing a male academic who taught at a prestigious Ivy League university, the reporter would feel the need to spend the entire piece debating whether he deserved the prefix “Dr.”
The article’s dismissive tone is symptomatic of the way the media treats women, particularly accomplished women in the public eye. Jill Biden has several advanced degrees, and yet chooses to teach in a community college, helping students who often cannot afford to attend school full-time. This is worthy of respect, not a quibble over whether she deserves the title as much as someone who stitches up wounds, treats skin conditions, or performs nose jobs.
But it also underlines the problems with much of newspaper reporting today: it relies on “experts” rather than information, it presents multiple opinions within a narrow range and purports them to be representative of the culture as a whole, and it focuses on ginned-up controversy instead of the actual story. It took me two minutes to find an “expert” who outlined the other side of the story. The Times could’ve done its research.
Instead, they went to press at first with a story that was not only offensive, but contained factual errors. No wonder newspapers are dying.
Read the whole damn thing.
So did you write a letter of protest when, during the campaign, the New York Times consistently referred to Sarah Palin as “Ms.” rather than “Governor”?
No, actually, I wrote an 18-page research paper on the media’s treatment of Sarah Palin.
Don’t try to trap me, Jeff. You know better
It’s hardly a trap. AND you dodged the question: did you write a letter to the NY Times and “rip them a new one” for not showing due respect to Sarah Palin in their interviews? A research paper is all well and good, but did you voice your opinion as loudly in the public arena about Sarah Palin’s treatment as you did about “my girl Jill Biden”. Yes or no will suffice.
You know what, Jeff?
I believe I answered the question with a “No” the first time around. In addition, the New York Times addressed Palin as “Ms.” and McCain and Obama as “Mr.” at the same time, because it’s in their stylebook to do so.
And once again, as I tried to nicely ask you in personal email, please do NOT refer to my paid work as a “letter” to the paper. It is not a letter to an editor. It is an article paid for by a publication, and I’d appreciate your respect.
If the New York Times wrote a story about how pretentious and stupid it was for Sarah Palin to refer to herself as “Governor Palin” then your analogy would have weight.
But as I get the feeling you have zero interest in actually reading my work, and much more interest in coming here to feel superior like you’ve trapped a progressive (and a friend, I might add) in a mistake or hypocrisy, this is the last thing I’ve got to say on the subject.
I get treated like shit on a daily basis from people who aren’t supposed to be friends of mine. I don’t need dismissive bullshit from you, too.
Oh FFS.
To “Mean Jeff” (who apparently learned argumentation theory via Free Republic), courtesy the magic of the Googles:
Results 1 - 10 of about 332,000 from nytimes.com for “Mr. Bush”. (0.16 seconds)
Now, take your lame ‘tu quoque’ and your condescension, wrap them both around the goddamned NY Times stylebook, and shove the entire package up your ass sideways, you sorry basket of trolltastic fuck.
@Mean Jeff
It is correct to use Dr Biden because her title is not situational. She did a doctorate and has the right to call herself doctor until she dies no matter what job or position she occupies.
Ms Palin is correct because the title of governor is situational. It is based on Palin’s current position and not intrinsically hers.
Also, way to miss the point
Why is there even a question as to whether Dr. Biden should be called “Dr.”? What does Sarah Palin have to do with this? Since the NYTimes was following their stylebook and applying it to everyone involved in the race, I don’t even see the point of bringing that up.
How about the idea that if Sarah fails to call out one bit of sexism, that this somehow undermines calling out any other bit of sexism? That’s a stupid standard. Having missed a spot somewhere else does not reflect on the validity of a particular argument. Tu quoque is an asshole move.
Sarah, have you gone all over the intertubez and made sure everyone everywhere is addressed by their correct title? Have you? Huh huh huh? HAVE YOU???!!!
Mean Jeff … you better take the log out of your own eye, d00d.
I’ve had the misfortune of meeting guys like you, taking pleasure in your supposed male “perfection”, arguing with women for the sake of finding a way to trap us in some kind of “imperfection” so you can lord it over us.
I’ll grant that you are perfect in one way - a perfect idiot.
And way to go, confusing the connotations of “governor” vs. “doctor”.
Great post, Sarah. I cannot fathom how anybody thought the LA Times piece was an appropriate thing to write, let alone publish. Your takedown was just beautiful.