Where's The Outrage?

If the Imus affair was of such importance that, for many, the world literally stopped to contemplate and condemn his actions, where is the outrage over (1) recent reports of a spike in the infant mortality rate in Mississippi and several southern states and (2) Sunday's "60 Minutes" story on the "Stop Snitching" phenomenon in which persons refuse to deal with and assist the police in addressing and trying to solve crimes?

Increasing rates of infant mortality should concern us at least as much as (I would argue more than) the rantings of the I-man. The reasons for this increase, including the unavailability of health and and prenatal care, should (but won't) grab the nation's attention and won't be the subject of wall-to-wall cable news coverage. And telling and teaching people not to consort with the "man" as the police try to find out who robbed or assaulted or murdered one of our fellow citizens sends a message that the lives of those victimized by the beneficiaries of this silly silence don't count at all or as much. To say this is not to criticize those who are afraid to come forward out of fear of retaliation. But that fear and the reality of possible if not probable retaliation is only fueled by those who repeat the "stop snitching" mantra for street cred or financial gain or in furtherance of some distorted devotion to "keeping it real."

Imus is gone (at least for now) and there is ample room for the new and next outrage of the week. Too bad that it won't concern infant mortality and the "Stop Snitching" campaign.