Though perhaps you didn't mean them that way, your comments struck me as being rather condescending and dismissive and your expansive ramblings on your own listening experiences seemed to shore that up--I tend to over-react to that sort of thing--

As to my musical prejudices--they are probably much more rooted in my jazz and classical background, both as musician and a composer than with my affinity and fondness for traditional and popular music. I tend to respect a serious inclination to practice, basic reading skills, a practical knowledge of music theory, and respect for music and musicians of all kinds, and harbor the admittedly slightly arrogant view that musicians understand music better than non-musicians--