proof of authenticity

Who's proof? Who is going to authenticate the authenticity of the proof of authenticity? One blogger said, "But there was no proof of authenticity. It was a sham." This gets me to boil a bit because my impression is "ego" and "prideful" and "arrogant." Who says who is the authentic source to provide anyone or anything as a proof of an authentic art form be in martial or simply art?

My view of "proof" of anyones authenticity in the practice and application of any martial art is the person themselves. When they get out on the training floor, arena or environment over a period of time proof will be in the pudding, so to speak. Showing one's authentic application of a martial art will become evident soon enough and it it ain't two things will occur. One, they will in all likelihood leave long before they have to "face" the facts and two, they will not meet the current training hall standards and thus lose a bit of that perceived authenticity.

To rely on some organization or lineage or the ability to say I trained with this person or that person means nothing. If your relying solely on what a person says they did with whom, a certificate that has some chop on it or some other so called proof of authenticity toward proficiency then good luck with that as anyone can get stuff like that even from Japanese sources. I know of one now that when the check is cleared the proof comes in the mail soon thereafter.

Poppy Cock, bull hockey, get out on the floor and verify in real time the authenticity of an individual and leave the accouterments in a drawer. Better yet, make sure you know and have personally found their Sensei, give him or her a call and let them tell you just how authentic or not authentic a person is then ... still make sure you validate on the floor in real time.

p.s. the only way I see this changing is when "all" martial artists across the entire spectrum are able to attain a type of synchrony of all practitioners that can and will accept the "one" way. when that is achieved then we can actually have a body that provides "proof of authenticity." But then again if this occurs then we wouldn't need one, right?