On Unnecessary Censorship

When at home, there are several forms of entertainment I use to keep myself occupied. I analyze chess openings, read books, surf the net, watch a DVD, or watch television. It has been known for a long time that watching a televised R rated film is a bad idea. All of the profanities, along with other scenes, are eliminated and this ruins the movie. I've learned to accept that, and simply not watch certain films on TV. But lately I've noticed something more disturbing. The networks and basic channels are ruining simple PG-13 films with censorship as well.
There are certain words that everyone can see being censored. Extreme profanity and nudity should not be easily accessible to a child flipping through the channels. But when the words "I give you the finger" are changed to "I give you the flipper" I think the stations have gone overboard. To the best of my knowledge the word "finger" is still acceptable to the FCC (...for now). When stations eliminate content that can be aired, it annoys me.
It has come to the point where any sexual inuendo, any genital-related slang (those not considered profanity), and anything that can be construed as an "obscene" gesture have been eliminated. When the line "Come on, I wanna lay ya" in Grumpier Old Men becomes "Come on, I wanna sway ya" things are out of hand. There are plenty of other examples, but creating a list does not get to the heart of the matter.
The heart of the matter is this: when stations censor things of their own volition without waiting for the FCC to ban such things, it paves the road to more restrictions. When a python kills its prey, it wraps itself tightly around the body. Whenever the prey exhales, the snake immediately senses it and wraps itself tighter (constricting the lungs and preventing any decent amount of inhalation). Eventually the prey gets no air and dies.
This is the trend I see on television. Every time the stations censor something else, they are exhaling. They are letting out precious air that should be contained. This can allow the FCC to strengthen its grip, and never let that air back in. If this continues then, in time, all of the shows will be similar to Pleasantville. These stations need to enlarge the holes in the screen that they use when screening content.