Imus and incivility

Again at First Things, Kenneth Woodward writes about the real significance of the reaction to Imus's misbehavior:

Clearly, Imus crossed a line. But it’s a fault line that cuts right through black—and white—culture, dividing the civil from the degrading. Black music used to mean the blues and jazz; now it is more often identified with the staccato verbal violence of trash-talking rapper plutocrats like Snoop Dogg.

The head of one white shock jock will be nothing but a trophy for Sharpton, Jackson, and their Amen Corner unless the entire entertainment industry faces up to the disorder in their own house. There’s more to this than three little words. .... [more]

Source: First Things: Imus and Me