I was just placed on hold by Delta Special Member Services, and the music in the background (during an ad for some AT&T service) was "Deutschland Uber Alles," the old Nazi national anthem. I found the music very disturbing.

Now, before I get lectured by any of my FlyerTalk colleagues, I AM aware that this tune, which was originally written over 200 years ago by Joseph Haydn, not only predates the Nazi era, but is still used as the current German national anthem. And I can certainly see an argument as to why Delta, as a major international carrier with a significant hub in Frankfurt, would choose the current German anthem as a symbol of their international service. But the reality is that, for millions of people, this particular song is so imbued with symbolic meaning of the most hateful and painful kind that it seems highly insensitive at best for Delta to have chosen this particular tune when there are dozens of inoffensive, non-controversial national anthems that Delta that could have used to symbolize its role as an international airline.

The issue here is not historical or musical accuracy, it is sensitivity. Let me offer an analogy. As a Southerner, I am always hearing those who would defend the use of the Confederate battle flag claim that is represents much more than just slavery and oppression, and that there are legitimate, non-racist reasons to display this symbol. And they may well be right. But there is no denying the fact that most black Americans, with good reason, see that flag primarily as a symbol of racism and hatred, and that to use that image in a commercial setting is therefore to cause pain to a large segment of the population. The black person who sees a Confederate battle flag at a car dealership, dry cleaner, or motel, and who immediately conjures thoughts of slavery and lynching, is not likely to be swayed by some abstract arguments about what that flag "really" represents. The bottom line is that anyone with any real sensitivity would just refrain from using such a emotionally charged symbol in the first place.

For the majority of Americans, who do not hear "Deutschland Uber Alles" played on a regular basis in its role as the current German anthem, this music brings to mind images (reinforced by the song's frequent use in movies, documentaries, TV programs, and so many other sources) of war, destruction, and genocide. Hold music is supposed to be just a background sound, so to use a song that understandably engenders such passionate and painful feelings in so many people, when dozens of innocuous alternatives are available, is gruesomely poor judgment at the very least.