Mmmm...

Do I detect a 'what is folk music, then?' thread in its infancy?

'Folk' is such an all-encompassing term that it is unrealistic to try to define it!

I suppose there are songs, performers (whatever), that overlap into different 'genres' - we only need to consider Bob Dylan's career, and that of The Beatles, to see how 'pigeon holing' can be very difficult to apply!

Bob Dylan started out as a 'folk' performer, The Beatles as 'pop'. These days, Beatles songs are sung in folk clubs without anyone thinking it strange; Bob Dylan's songs are performed at rock concerts (Knocking on Heaven's Door, for example), and it's by no means an exception.

Music has the ability to bring people together; it can also force them apart.

No, Folk isn't 'best' - it's all there really is!!