CENSORED! Top 40 Radio and You

Who is in charge of censoring this stuff? Was it really necessary to bleep the word "satellite" out of "Boom Boom Pow"? Why can Buckcherry call a woman a "crazy bitch" repeatedly while Christina Aguilera cannot refer to herself as a "superbitch"? How does a song like "Rude Boy" play on the radio at all while "If You Seek Amy" can't even retain its title?

Welcome to the non-sensical world of radio editing. The interests in censoring radio broadcast is a highly corporate one, existent only for the financial benefits of radio sponsors. Put simply: If no one is listening, advertisers aren't interested. For this reason, radio editing is, upon close examination, ideologically baseless. Broadcasters are only concerned with whether or not listeners will change the channel. The messages or ideologies being presented to the public are of no concern to the broadcasters.

The fact that a Britney Spears song cannot make it onto the radio with an inconsequential double-entendre title like "If You Seek Amy" but a full song about a woman challenging a man's erectile capabilities while questioning his penis size experiences no controversy ("Rude Boy") is obviously inconsistent. Even more inconsistent are the themes of violence and misogyny that provide no censorship issues. (i.e., Maroon 5's "Wake Up Call").

For listeners like myself, radio censorship that alters individual songs seems an almost personal affront. If a song is truly inappropriate for general listening, why play it at all? The corporate interests behind manipulating a public into being complacent about what they hear suggests a disrespect for the sensibilities of listeners. Assuming that removing words like "f***" and "s***" from pop songs while playing tracks that should cause genuine social concern rests on the assumption that listeners are at best not paying attention and at worst stupid.

Don't allow yourself to be insulted. If you hear a ridiculously offensive song receiving airplay because it isn't overtly vulgar, complain. If your favorite track is having words like "satellite" and "hell" removed for corporate reasons, call in and tell them to cut it out. With that I conclude this public service announcement. You're welcome.