Question 111: Fraudulent degree

As to your specific question as to whether I consider you a pseudo-master, I don’t have enough information to make that call. As you stated in your email, you do exhibit some of the characteristics I describe as those I think are indicative of a pseudo-master, but that does not necessarily mean I would consider you one. I also exhibit some of those characteristics but I am not a pseudo-master, but then I am not a master nor do I claim to be a master.
Since there are no universally accepts standards in the martial arts, defining what constitutes a master or a pseudo-master is difficult, and finding definitions that would please even a simple majority of martial artists would probably be impossible, but I attempted to create a definition. If your question is, “how many of my indicators of a pseudo-master does it take before a person could be classified a pseudo-master,” there is no set number, it the totality of the person's experiences, training, beliefs, and what he says and does and the consistencies or inconsistencies between what he says and what he does that help determine the final call.

While in the Navy, I would have sailors as me if I thought they needed a haircut; I always answered “yes.” The sailors would say, “But you didn’t even look at my hair.” I would answer, “A good sailor gets a haircut when he needs one, and he knows when he needs one; he doesn’t need verification. So if you are asking me if you need a haircut, it must mean that someone has told you to get a haircut and you are trying to find a master chief to disagree with them so you can avoid getting one. So I don’t have to look at your hair to know that you must need a haircut; if you didn’t need a haircut, you would not be asking me.” When people ask me if I think they are right in what they are doing, it usually means they have some doubt as to whether what they are doing is right wrong and are seeking verification. That doubt may or may not be justified, but their need for verification should give them cause to reconsider what they are doing.