I think "Time will tell".
A.) Sadly, in many cases, it is only through the end-product that we may judge the skill of the creator. It is a sad truth that the disaffected and disappointed students of a fake may take many years to fully realise how far they've been led down the wrong path. Threads like this, when carried out correctly, can help to prevent some people falling victim to inappropriate training.
B.) I think that several of the more prolific posters on this thread have come from a background where they were "fooled" into thinking they were being taught an authentic, effective and proven style... only to discover that the gaps in their Teachers knowledge were being papered over with Lies, and the holes in the techniques would lead to weaknesses/injuries/wasted-effort. This probably accounts for some of the enthusiasm in reaching out and attempting to protect the unsuspecting.
C.) Learning a technique from a Shodan, or a Go-dan, can be a very different experience. The subtleties of form, the solutions to problems, the correction of errors are all reliant on the teacher knowing his stuff. Teaching a bit-of-dis and a bit-of-dat from a limited base is asking people to believe that you have mastered a style just by watching it.
D.) Some of the latest generation of "Masters" will point out that many of the most respected styles were created by people who lacked the kind of qualifications that would satisfy the readers of this forum. But this observation misses a crucial element in the make-up of people like Funakoshi, Mas Oyama, Jigoro Kano, etc ... they were Genius.
