It's about outrage that is either fabricated or misplaced, then blown out of proportion.



For example, Gingrich clutched his pearls over Obama's apology for U.S.-led troops "accidentally" burning Korans in a prison. But was he REALLY outraged, or just grabbing an opportunity to bash Obama and advance his own ambitions? Put another way, can you imagine Gingrich praising Obama if he HADN'T apologized? No, he very likely would have tried to use it as proof that Obama is an unfit commander-in-chief. Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are fabricating pearl clutchers, too.




As for Hyacinth Bucket, she once told her husband that all she wants is to ensure that his life "flows in a placid stream." As long as she's controlling that stream, of course -- so much so that HER pearl clutching was turbo-charged. A cracked teacup, a newsboy scratching his ear, someone brushing against her walls or talking loudly in the street, her sister's mini-skirts, her brother-in-law's right to bare arms: the tiniest deviation of her world order had her grasping at her throat, then blindly counterattacking. We laughed at Hyacinth hardest when she found herself stranded in the debris of her laid-to-waste planning.

That's why I'm comfortable with the term "pearl clutching": it's not just for prudes or homophobes anymore.


rocktivity