Young people gonna young. I'm sure 55 years ago a young Paul McCartney didn't know who some composer from a by-gone era was, and probably disliked his music when he heard it. Not everybody has to like your music, the world would suck if that were the case. (especially if you're a hipster)
Forty-five years of superlative lists, retrospectives, knightings and Kennedy Center honors is not enough? There are whole genres and eras of music that are dismissed out of hand by older folks with just as much obtuseness.
My bad, meant to post that link but accidentally only posted a link to that one particular image. Fail.
Who is Mamie Smith? Are we failing as a society, if we don't remember aspects of a culture that are meant to fade into obsolescence? they call it pop culture for a reason.
I'm more worried about our society when people react to Chris Brown like this. http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/horrible-reactions-to-chris-brown-at-the-grammys