I don't listen to a lot of pop music. I don't hate it, but I like folk better. A lot of singer/songwriters are doing accoustic pop. I also think there's some resentment in regards to the term "folk" coming to mean anyone with an accoustic guitar. This isn't necessarily the fault of songwriters, but they end up taking the blame for it.

I like songs that mean something to me, and a lot of people who are called "singer/songwriters" write music that only has meaning for them. Some of it's wonderful poetry, some of it is self-indulgent navel gazing.

If we want to get picky, the list of singer/songwriters includes Pete Seeger, Ewan McColl, Woody Guthrie, Jean Ritchie, and lots of other folk heroes, even though they did/do other people's and traditional songs, too. But I've met too many people recently with an attitude of "I've written this amazingly sensitive song about ME and MY life, and I'm going to record it, make a truck load of money, and then you will all worship me." And there are far too many good songwriters we never get to hear because they aren't young or "cool" enough to be a decent commodity. I don't have anything against singer/songwriters - just the selling of them.