OK, Pete, I'll admit you're right about the actual content of the "Horst Wessel Lied." I think it proves perfectly what Philippa said in the first message in this thread - about "the extent to which a song might be tainted by association even if there's nothing so horrible in the actual lyrics." In this case, though, it's not a situation of a good song being tainted - but the story behind the song and the horror that goes with the story make it far worse that the song seems on the face. That story and that horror have an effect even today - they strike terror in the hearts of those affected by the Holocaust, and they also give inspiration to those who seek to continue that terror. That's why it has been illegal to sing that song in postwar Germany, and rightly so. This is one case where I think that official censorship is entirely appropriate and healthy. Banning the song is a form of national penance for Germany.
I've never heard the song performed, and I don't think I ever want to hear it. In the movie Cabaret, there is a scene in a beer garden where a few Nazis get up and start singing a song with an inspiring tone. I think the song was "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." Gradually, others get up and join in the singing, and almost everyone in the crowd has joined in by the end of the song. I imagine the scene echoes the effect of the "Horst Wessel Lied" - the mob drawn into the conspiracy of hatred by a song that sounds sweet and inspiring. As I listened to the song in the movie, I could feel myself being affected, almost inspired, by the tune. It certainly shows the power of music, doesn't it?
In almost every situation I can think of, I don't agree with censorship. I think of fellow Christians who protested "The Last Temptation of Christ" and fellow Catholics who protested movies and TV programs that showed the human faults of priests - and I liked the shows they were protesting and even found "Temptation" to be a bit too pious. The "Horst Wessel Lied" is another matter - it should be handled very carefully, like a hand grenade with the pin pulled.
-Joe Offer-