But only when the shoe fits, Art.

Despite your disclaimer, your artfully-composed statement does seem to suggest that you consider the present to be the region of scum, and the past to be the region where treasures are to be found. We just disagree, that's all. For myself, I consider today's living traditions -- whether of long standing or comparatively recent origin -- to be just as valid as the traditions of the past. I feel that treasures are still being created today, and that there was quite a bit of scum created in the past; no particular era is inherently superior, in my view.

Those of us who are not practitioners of a particular scholastic discipline are not bound by that discipline's conventions with respect to language. The fact that you consider the words "folk" and "traditional" to be rigidly defined does not mean that the rest of us are bound by your interpretation. My doctor may refer to a myocardial infarction, which I would more likely call a heart attack -- and while his term is more precise, as a practical matter we're both right. There are countless disciplines out there that adopt very precise definitions that are only useful among people who work within those disciplines, while the rest of the world speaks about the same topics in more general terms. This forum serves a broad constituency, as far as I can tell, and broader definitions tend to go along with that.

Thanks for humoring me, though, even if this ground had been covered many times. I value your insights even when I disagree with them.