I first wrote this contribution earlier today, beginning with my thanks for an introduction, for me, to Jeffers interesting, if not appealing, work. Then, perhaps influenced by Ann's self-restraint, I wiped it. However, since this discussion goes on, and partly stimulated by Bill Lantry's latest suggestion of the difficulty of reaching a decision on the case, I feel that it does, perhaps, need posting after all.
Though I can't be bothered with relative estimation of the vileness of Pound's opinions compared with illustrious others, the thread has sent me to read, at greater length than I have ever done before, Pound's original broadcast scripts.
They are not only even more repulsive than the usual quotations indicate, but they are also extremely poor evidence of a mind that is worth listening to on any subject whatsoever.
Wagner wrote offensive rubbish about Jews and Jewish culture but did so with a degree of coherent argument within the limits of some of the 'thinking' of his day and - on these admittedly fractured terms - made a coherent attempt to contend for his point of view, daft and racially unpleasant those this was.
Pound, by contrast, raves in these scripts with logic as absent as his syntax; to be frank, he raves convolutedly and nonsensically - reflecting little more than the prejudices of the gutter. The sense of a parallel with the embittered ranting of the frustrated one-time Viennese art student is difficult to resist.
So, all humane decency apart - though I am not in favour of ignoring such a consideration - Pound deserves to be disregarded as a man who was capable of urging so incoherently and stupidly on matters which he considered as of such high importance and on such an influential platform. If this was the quality of his mind and person, why on earth should anyone - left or right or anything else - take such an unembarrassed clown seriously on any other subject? His sense of judgement, intellectually - all morality temporarily set aside - was shown to be worthless. Why should it be respected elsewhere? Clearly, it should not.
As Michael, I think, commented earlier - perhaps the insanity judgement was spot on after all.
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