Jerry, you've said beautifully and eloquently what I've felt (and tried to say, usually unsuccessfully) for a long time. Much of what passes for folk music is (has been since the 1960s at least) actually of the "protest song" genre. These songs generally have one characteristic in common: they cast scorn, derision, mockery, anger and hatred against another person or group of people whose beliefs or politics the singer does not like. In short, they are mean-spirited. Whether you like a particular protest song will depend on whether you agree with the message or whether you feel yourself in the group that the singer obviously despises.

The songs are great for "we're all in this together" gatherings of like-minded people to raise their passions, but in a general audience, especially in today's America which is so terribly polarized, you are going to alienate about half the audience. Notice I said "in a general audience" -- obviously an audience that came knowing what kind of music they were going to hear will be more uniform in their beliefs and therefore you'll alienate fewer people.

I have become sick of mean-spirited speech and songs and therefore I, like many people, no longer listen to or sing protest songs outside of political gatherings. In today's America, for someone on the wrong side of the singer's politics, a songfest can seem like a hate-fest. Jerry, you said beautifully and eloquently what I've felt (and tried to say, usually unsuccessfully) for a long time. Much of what passes for folk music is (has been since the 1960s at least) actually of the "protest song" genre. These songs generally have one characteristic in common: they cast scorn, derision, mockery, anger and hatred against another person or group of people whose beliefs or politics the singer does not like. In short, their mean-spirited. Whether you like a particular protest song will depend on whether you agree with the message or whether you feel yourself in the group that the singer obviously despises.

The songs are great for "we're all in this together" gatherings of like-minded people, but in a general audience, especially in today's America which is so terribly polarized, you are going to alienate about half the audience. Notice I said "general audience" -- obviously an audience that came knowing what kind of music they were going to hear will be more uniform in their beliefs and therefore you'll alienate fewer people.

In today's America, a songfest can easily seem like a hate-fest to someone on the wrong side of the singer's politics. I myself have become sick of mean-spirited speech and songs and therefore I, like many people, no longer listen to or sing protest songs, or any song that mocks politicians or other groups of people, outside of political gatherings.