Top 40 Radio Gets a Bad Rap

I feel there is a lot of unfair bashing of the content that is played on Top 40 radio stations. Over the course of the last century, music has evolved every 10-20 years. The difference in style of music from the 50s to the 60s in huge, let alone the 90s and today. That would obviously mean that the general public's perception of music will change. Music that was popular at one point will give way to another type of music that has come along to take the reigns as the new "it" music. As an example, a lot of people in our class bashed top 40 radio because they "feel like people aren't smart enough to know what they like so the station is telling them what to like". I feel that is a very ignorant and elitist comment. While someone who may not be a music fan might have trouble deciding certain things due to the fact that they don't know music, but 99.9% of people who listen to radio know a pretty good deal at what they are listening to, heck, why'd they even stop the dial unless it sounded good? It was a broad generalization that painted the top 40 listening audience as an incompetent group of morons that was similar in style to saying all protestors (either party) are a largely irrational bunch cause they compare their opposition to Hitler. While there are a few bad apples, they obviously don't represent the majority of the group, who are intelligent people. I also feel the comment was elitest due to the fact that music is subjective, not something defined by fact. Now while the main pulse of the music industry is through the internet and blogs, where snarky comments and ripping on the establishment is not only common but encouraged, people have been able to label all different kinds of music with descriptions that can be damaging to the industry as well as ones that can be helpful. Someone was able to label hip-hop as "uneducated black men talking about cars, money and woman", something that scares off middle america. Dance music is labeled as something meant for guidos and is girly to an extent. Indie rock also seemed to be turned into "real music" by the apparent ministry of music. Now, I don't want to come off as someone who knocks the internet for its freedom of speech I'm a firm believer in it, but before the internet came around people seemed to like the popular music. I mean, its not like it becomes popular because someone said it's popular, its popular because its demanded by the people. We're the ones going out and buying their music. If we're being "brainwashed", as one student put it, to like popular music, then why isn't any of this "real music" thats out there in the pop charts? We always see people complain about the quality of music but if the music everyone seems to be ripping is still in the charts and this other music is nowhere to be seen, I think America has spoken.