The Importance of Being Earnest

By Kim D.

Oscar Wilde set the stage on fire in the late 1800s with his play The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.  For those of you who aren't book nerds, I highly recommend watching the movie (the 1952 version), as it is a funny exploration of Victorian social mores.

Basically, the story follows a guy named Jack who is a handsome, successful businessman and overall great guy.  Any girl would love to land a catch like Jack, except for one small hitch.  Jack was adopted and is unsure of his natural parents' background which is a problem being that he has fallen in love with a socialite named Gwendolen, and he fears his pedigree may not be quite up to snuff.

In order to woo the one he loves, he changes his name to Earnest and a comedy of errors ensues once he proposes marriage and his charade is put to the test.  At the climax of the play, poor Jack is at the brink of losing poor Gwendolen when his name deception is discovered and she claims she will only marry a man named Earnest.  But, fate steps in at the last moment and saves the day when Jack discovers his parents' true identity and his birth name: Earnest.  Thus, he, along with the audience, learn the satirical importance of being earnest. 

Huh, so, it doesn't really matter if you tell the truth, just as long as your name is Earnest. Well, I guess Obama has seen the play or perhaps the 2002 movie version because he has just named Josh Earnest the new press secretary. 

According to The PJ Tatler, “The flak jacket is officially passed to a new generation, Mr. Josh Earnest,” Obama announced, naming the deputy press secretary to take Carney’s spot.

“You can’t find a nicer individual even outside of Washington,” he added of Earnest, who served as an aide to Marion Berry and worked on Michael Bloomberg’s first mayoral campaign before joining then-Sen. Obama’s campaign team.