So folk was not defined by people but given entire in a Moses/Tablets deal? And if it was set down by people they had to have a) the authority to do so b) a full understanding of the past and future potential of the form and it's modes of adoption c) a comprehension of national and international perspectives on that form and its roots.

In the last month I've heard folk isn't folk if it's on stage, harmonised, polyphonic, electric, sung through a mic, written by a known person, written in the recent past, sung by anyone attractive, performed by anyone young, performed by anyone who has a formal degree in the subject, performed with any notion of professionalism up to and including strict tempos or note specificity, sung in an accent not particular to the singer and song, etc, etc, etc. Why am I beginning to see Rambling Syd Rumpo? I don't like introspective young people singing American Pie either but that still leaves a lot of room for inclusion.