I can not see anyone taking away rank. That is the same as taking away someones High School Diploma because you do not remember all the pertinant dates of historical events. Or a university taking back your Masters Degree because you don't remember everything you knew when you were in grad school.
Rank is given based on what you have accomplished. No one can take your accomplishments away.
Hello, Earning a Black Belt and higher is like a High School degree, or College Degree. Once earn...always stays with you.
Haze and still learning give the analogy that I couldn't think of (I'm sick, and the congestion in my chest is affecting my brain) - like a diploma or advanced degree, once you've earned, it's yours for life. I have a BA in Psychology and a MA in Counseling... but as a teacher, I rarely use much of the theoretical knowledge I learned in my courses (and I
know I've forgotten what I learned in Calculus), and therefore don't recall it - does that mean I no longer have those degrees? Likewise, for the many people who earned a BB and then stopped practicing, for whatever reason, still, IMHO, still have a BB. They put in the blood, sweat and tears necessary to earn that rank, and it is theirs for life - that doesn't mean they can't forget knowledge or lose skills - and certainly, if their instructor reduces their rank for legitimate reasons, that's up to the instructor - but that's not been my experience.
If someone were to abuse what they are taught or misrepresent the school, I can see no longer recognizing their ranking, however, that's another story!
Very true! Demotion for abuse of skills learned is a totally different issue than demotion due to time away. The latter facet ties into a discussion that was held earlier (can't find it right now) about the loss of physical ability as one grows older. Many people lose abilities for reasons unrelated to lack of practice - injury, illness, age, etc. - and are not able to perform at 50 the way they did at 20. Does this mean they should lose their rank, because their skills have declined? I cannot think so.
Likewise, people who do not practice for reasons related to their lives (children, advanced education, illness in the family, job troubles, etc.) should not be reduced in rank when they come back - given the high number of people who quit, and the low number who return, I would rather give returning students the benefit of their past experience, and the extra time necessary to regain their skills, than make them requalify for rank they already earned.
