Throughout this whole Imus kerfluffle, I’ve had a hard time reconciling why the mummified provacatuer had caused such an outrage. Besides it being a slow news week, I don’t see why his (admittedly in poor taste) was so central in the public discourse when other media personalities say much more bigoted and potentially offensive things on a daily basis. Radio personalities and others routinely move along the border of the things we can and cannot say in public. I think part of it has to do with the so-called serious guests Imus books- senators, authors, etc,). Andrew Sullivan suggests that it might also have something to do with a lack of ironic distance between what Imus the man may or may not believe and what Imus the character says to be controversial. He also mentions South Park, which I always appreciate.