in his foreword to "a treasury of american folklore", botkin explained his values: "in one respect it is necessary to distinguish between folklore as we find it and folklore as we believe it ought to be. folklore as we find it perpetuates human ignorance, perversity, and depravity along with human wisdom and goodness. historically we cannot deny or condone this baser side of folklore — and yet we may understand and condemn it as we condemn other manifestations of human error." accordingly, during the '50s and '60s richard m. dorson attacked botkin's work, which he considered unscholarly, calling much of what was included in his books "fakelore." botkin ignored dorson and disregarded his criteria. folklore, he believed, was an art to be shared, not an exclusive artifact for scholars. his idea that folklore is basically creative expression used to communicate and instill social values, traditions, and goals, is widely accepted by folklorists today. botkin insisted that democracy is strengthened by the valuing of myriad cultural voices. he is considered the "father of public folklore."