There Are No Gods Amongst Men/ Dojo Hunting

Today I'd like to talk about the traditional set up of dojos, and beginning students perception of the traditional dojo system. Originally there were no belt systems accept maybe the senior students would wear a blackened belt. Often the belt was blackened from being old and dirty. All students were like brothers and sisters and the instructor was like a father figure. Ranks below Shodan (now called 1st degree black belt) were called "kyu" (like steps on a ladder). the lower your Kyu, the higher your rank was. 1st Kyu was the highest rank before Shodan, and "Mukyu" meaning "no Kyu" was the lowest rank (i.e. a beginner).
The system changed after the American occupation of Japan. Americans watched Jigoro Kano's, who is the founder of judo, class and saw that the darker the belt was, the higher the skill level was. I guess they assumed that the belt was a symbol of what level of skill they were at. When in reality the black belts were just a way for Jigoro to see where his senior students (Senpai) were when there were many students training. Jigoro noticed that the Americans looked at the belts in this matter and this gave him an idea. Gichin Funakoshi the founder of Shotokan Karate, and friend to Jigoro Kano also noticed this phenomenon. As they both started training more and more Americans they decided to develop a belt color system to cater to the way Americans thought so they could better understand (I guess). This obviously was so popular it's still around.
After a while , for some reason. The black belt turned into the ultimate prize for western civilization. I don't know why they did not realize that Shodan (1st degree black belt) meant "1st class" like first grade in school . It meant you are now ready to begin learning the art. To the Westerners the black belt meant "You have become a deadly weapon and all should fear you". Needless to say that is and was ridiculous. Now, the Shihan who had 5th or 7th degree black belts, well, if 1st degree is deadly weapon then , of course, 7th degree must mean you are some sort of GOD!!! Sadly that is about how it went. In the dojos in America men of this rank were treated like royalty. They constantly had "yes men" around them, as in "yes sir, can I shine your shoes? It would be an honor for me to paint your house! Can I build you a new Dojo? I'll even PAY you to do that. monthly fees brought on testing fees brought on "yearly dues" (wtf?!) and so on. It's gotten to the point were MANY American dojos are 2 steps away from being a cult like Tom Jones or "the gateway to heaven" guys.
These ranks are just a way to tell where you are in learning the art. Even the shihan (nanadan 7th degree blackbelts) are still learning. If they tell you otherwise then you shouldn't study under them. My dad always told me this saying. I think it's a saying at least. It went something like: "If you meet someone who thinks they know everything, walk away. If you meet someone who KNOWS they know everything, then run away as fast as you can".
Boys and girls, please do not join dojos where the head instructor acts like he is an indestructible god and has his students talk him up as such. Before you join have a conversation with the MAIN instructor. Ask as many questions as you can. If he is humble and doesn't puff himself up then that's good. Also find out about fees. If there is a fee for like ridiculous things, then that should be a red flag. Next talk to the senior most student. Ask him a lot of questions about his teacher and how the class is run. Try to get a feel from him; is he confident in himself? is he afraid of his instructor, or does he have healthy respect? Does he tell you the cons of the dojo along with the pros?. Next stay and watch a class or two (observe a children's class if you can to see how the head instructor works with children. That's a really good way to gauge his skill and his overall aura. Observe the "Senpai" or senior student during class. Watch his behavior. Does he show respect to lower ranking students? Does he help them with their mistakes and not micromanage their every movement? Is he overly rough with lower ranked students? Does he have a "holier then thou" feel about him regarding lower ranked students? Lastly what does the relationship between the senior student and the head instructor like? Does he shoe proper courtesy and respect, Or is he kissing the guy's ass and just saying "yes, yes, yes" pampering him like a god/man? All of these tips will help you find the right dojo and avoid the dojos who have contracted the "cult" disease. Keep in mind that there are dojos run like cults who have VERY skilled instructors. In fact they probably ended up this way BECAUSE the teacher was so skilled and there was no one outside the ring to check the behavior of the group as a whole thus creating a situation where the head instructor lives in a microcosm where he is all but worshipped and seems to have lost all view on the original purpose of the art and his job as instructor.
Well, I hope I helped someone out with this info. Good luck dojo Hunting!