MediaMatters inflicts a well-merited bitch-slap on the Los Angeles Times for getting all huffy with Jill Biden because she has been observed billing herself as "Doctor." They cite the example of "Dr." Henry Kissinger. They certainly could have mentioned "Dr." Martin Luther King; and as I recall, back before he climbed down out the mountains, R. Hart Phillips of the New York Times regularly referred to Fidel Castro as "doctor" on the strength of his "Juris Doctor" law degree (hey wait! That's me!).
There's some suggestion that the use of the title is pompous. I tend to think of it as just a tad forlorn, like a bad comb-over that doesn't fool anybody. In my experience among academics, the flaunting of the title is a bit more common among women than men. In that realm, it seems to be a kind of insecurity--though perhaps well-justified-- that you'd expect from a person who feels (s)he really has to beat you over the head with the achievement, at risk of not being taken seriously.
Footnote: For the headline reference, go here. There seem to be some audio/video renditions of the act here, though I can't make them work on my own screen just now.
Another Footnote: Recall that "R. Hart Phillips" was really Ruby Hart Phillips, hiding her femininity under an initial.
Still Another Footnote: There does seem to be a bit of confusion; it refers to her doctoral field once as English, later as Education. Of course if it's Education, all bets are off.
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