Kaleea, I wonder if you have read Klein's bio of Woody? I don't think that you will find many that think it is OK to leave one's family, maintain a steady job, etc. And I don't "idolize" Woody Gutherie, nor do I know many serious folkies who do. I can't speak for them, but I will try to summarize my feelings.

I was drawn to Woody by his music. The more I found of his music, the more I recognized his genius. Like Grandma Moses, but using words instead of canvas, he painted real pictures with real stories and pointed out real problems, using less than perfect structures but getting brilliant results. That lead me further into wanting to know more about the mind that could do this. Which of course lead to a study of his life and times. And that lead to understanding. Understanding is a whole lot different than accepting behaviours as being OK. And it requires a lot more work. I would say that I understand much of what made Woody into the person that he became. I don't idolize Woody, but I place his music and message on a pedestal. And I wish him a nicer voyage on this next leg of the journey.

Mick