[Prestidigitweeze]

Another hilarious thing I just realized about this thread: At least one important modernist tried to make a similar point. I still remember reading Ezra Pound's Sadean *Guide to Kulchur* in college and watching his arguments drift further toward the insane. As far as I remember, Pound's reasoning went like this:

Being a doctor is a responsibility. If a doctor botches an operation badly enough, they aren't allowed to practice medicine again. If things go especially dreadfully, they're even put in jail.

Being a writer is a responsibility. If a writer produces work that is sufficiently bad, they shouldn't be allowed to write any more. If their writing is especially dreadful . . .

At that point, Pound not only thought there should be a litmus test for writers. He also believed that writers who failed the test should be removed from civilized society. "Civilization" is the actual word he used!