John Peekstock totally misinterpreted my post, so let me clarify.

1) The original post was by a guest commenting on a session at Whitby, hence my examples were British and Irish sessions. I could just as easily have used Spanish and Iranian music sessions to illustrate the point, but it seemed more appropriate in this case to use the examples of the region of the world the original post was commenting upon.

2) As the original poster did not identify themselves and their place of residence (I assumed it wasn't a pub at Whitby), I commented on perceptions I have often heard expressed by Americans travelling for the first time to sessions in the UK and Ireland, on the off chance that the original poster was an American. Considering at least half the posters on Mudcat are American, this is the summer travel season, and the poster was commenting on sessions at a festival, I didn't think it inappropriate to interject the different ways that British and Irish sessions are often perceived by Americans without experience with them.

3) Eliza Carthy's expert opinions on British folk is most certainly welcome. I did not intent my comments to in any way attempt to be disrespectful, derisive, or dismissive. I do feel that it is impossible for members of an elite group to comment as outsiders of said group, in anything but a highly subjective way. I stand by that.

John, your post suggests to me that you were aggravated or angry at me for expressing my opinion, and suggesting that because Eliza Carthy is Eliza Carthy, that no one should disagree with her. Isn't that a pretty elitist point of view in itself? It was not my intention to anger anyone by expressing my opinion. Is there some button of yours I may have inadvertently pushed that caused you to react in such a caustic manner?