I didn't say that folk afficionados were just a bunch of cultural nationalists wearing musician disguises!

I said they are attracted to roots music of their own cultures for the same reasons cultural nationalists are attracted to musical and non-musical cultural traditions. It gives them a sense of identity they want.

I don't believe there is anything inherently evil in cultural nationalism. It only becomes problematical when used as a means of putting another culture/nation down, or manipulating it in political and militaristic terms.

I have no problem whatsoever with people identifying themselves, or inventing themselves, or whatever you want to call it, by their culture or nationality. And that includes music identities.

We don't have to adopt our own culture's music traditions. But many people want to, and I have no problem with that.

Nor would I call them Nazis for doing so (to hurry up and invoke the nasty N-word for nationalism and get it out of the way of an otherwise good conversation!).

There is nothing wrong with intellectuals either. We are talking about audience perceptions, not individual musicians.