Censorship

This weekend I was with my girlfriend on the way to watch the Jags/Titans game(go Jags!) when while listening to a local pop station MIA's runaway hit, "Paper Planes" came on. I got excited because I really like this song and started to rock out to it. At this point my girlfriend looks over at me and flatly says "you know this is the radio edit of this song right?" What? why does it need to be edited ? This song is great, it's lyrics aren't so bad...it's popular what the hell did they sensor?

Well, to my extreme disappointment they took out the sounds of the gunshots and cash register "cha-ching!" from the refrain. Seriously...and you know what's funny? It absolutely ruins the song and makes it sound more or less like any other pop/rap song, it removes any "edge" from the song.

So my question is this: What's the point of censoring those sounds? Are people honestly worried that gunshots in a song are going to inspire violence? In a world 20 or so years removed from Ice T's Cop Killer and in a world where kids are playing Grand Theft Auto IV do you really think that this song is going to inspire violence and warp our youths? I don't know, I guess I just don't get it and this is consequently why I don't really listen to the radio much anymore...