"He did something far more fundamental in that he attempted to undermine was regarded up to then as the recognized creative culture of English working people by describing it as a “faked tradition”

Some posters have been spinning a leftist about folk being the 'recognized creative culture of English working people' or 'labouring classes' or 'working class' on Mudcat for years. I did not need to read Harker to know that the idea is nonsense.

I just needed a brain.

People have tried to argue that Child believed this was true. He didn't. Not one piece of evidence suggests that he did, and a great deal suggests that he did not. Not one piece of evidence suggests that Sharp believed it, either.

The idea appears to have come in mainly through a combination of the influence of left US people like Lomax and also through CP influence including Lloyd and MacColl.

I defer to Jim's expertise on derision.