How does censorship deem what is proper and what is not?

So I got this box set of The Simpsons, and in short, here’s the episode I watched tonight. A character called ’‘Sideshow Bob’’ was trying to murder Bart Simpson. Then the family goes into this witness relocation program, where they change identities, so the killer can’t find Bart. Anyways, that’s what the whole episode is about. At the end, they return home after everything is solved, but they forgot about Grampa Simpson. Without his pills, he is now turning into a woman, complete with long hair and boobs.

When I saw this on cable years ago, the grandfather was never featured with any breasts, he just had the long hair. But this box set shows deleted and altered scenes, and this is where I saw the boobs. (or their shape through the grampa’s sweater)

I don’t get it. So a whole episode about murder is okay, but you can’t show boobs? Hell, the beginning of the episode lightly makes fun of homosexuals. Incidentally, there was a really bad Nazi joke thrown in, which has also been deleted from the cable episode. I can understand not wanting to make fun of WWII history. But my guess is that this wasn’t deleted to respect historical events, rather than trying to avoid a wrist slap.

But really, how does censorship work? And is it still on cable? I’m talking about an episode that played in the 90’s. I haven’t watched cable for a hell of a long time, besides The Walking Dead and The Simpsons. I don’t know how it works anymore.

But these are things that I have noticed in the past. Taking out swearing through bleepings or silence, but leaving in blood and violence. Or taking out boobs, but showing chopped heads. Is it still like that? The fuck for? It’s like, show it all or don’t play it at all. Sweet Jesus. Or playing songs in on the radio, but bleeping out cuss words. It’s not like anybody with half a damn brain can’t figure out what the word was.

What criteria must a scene meet before being censored/altered, and what is the intent behind it? I mean, frankly I don’t believe for a second that it exists in order not to traumatize people, nor do I believe it to be some respect driven action towards the exposed source. I think it’s some kind of political thing, where boobs and swearing and whatnot are cut out because it’s closer to real life than things like glorified violence and gore. But then, a lot of people blame things like school shootings on video games or movies. I don’t buy that either, because violence in our entertainment has always been around, and if it influenced us, nobody would be alive in the Western World anymore. However, I have once seen a documentary about African kids who saw American Ninja, and shortly after, a boy killed his brother. But this was in some poor place in Africa where they don’t have any TV’s or movies, and never have had these things. I guess when it’s really new to you, it can fuck you up…but over here?

I know there’s a reason and some methods behind how censorship works. But what is it? How do they decide what to censor, and why? Why are some things acceptable, and others not?

Here’s another thing. I played this game where you have to save your girlfriend from some asshole. She’s tied in a chair with a big metal ball over her head, which quickly drops right as soon as you free her. But this was the American version of the game; in the original Japanese version, atop the girl’s head is a curved blade, not a big metal ball. Why the change? What, getting crushed to death is okay, but sliced in half isn’t? I do not comprehend the logic. But I know there’s some reason. Can someone help me understand?

I hate censorship in entertainment. But in order to properly hate something, it’s always good to learn about it. lol

Thoughts?

Also, I would like to censored.

…dammit.