Fair enough. I did not mean to jump down your throat. Many martial artists have a restricted view of other arts and styles - you are obviously not one of these people. I am sorry if I misrepresented your valid point.

However, now that we have brought it up, it is interesting how the modernisation of MA often entails many of the combat based aspects dissappearing. I know that some traditional forms filipino martial arts used to teach guerilla warfare tactics, ambushing, and how to fight with more than one person. The modernisation and the marketting of MA often don't see these things as relevant. Do Ninjutsu clubs (which I am sure vary but we can generalise a bit) still teach these broader skills?
Some of the most useful self-defense skills I have learnt are to use the environment to my advantage which includes using any object as a weapon or obstacle. Simple things like not letting someone between you and your only point of escape, keeping furniture between you and your (potential) enemy, and always having something in my hand that will help in a knife defense situation (from a water bottle, to a pen, or even my hat or backpack slung over one shoulder). These thing are easy to talk about but they actually need to be trained as it hard to think about these things when your primary focus is engaged in negotiating a threat and trying to talk your way out of something. Another thing that I think is often overlooked is how your environment impacts how you fight: like avoiding grappling and going to ground when outnumbered, having movement limited by objects or fighting in a doorway of narrow passage (and using the wall as a weapon of sorts), or in a crowd. Most conflicts apparently start at a close converstaion range and still involve one person being caught be surprise (i.e. not in a guard). Learning to have an inconspicous and instinctive guard can mean the difference between winning a fight and losing a fight as most conflicts are determined by who throws the first punch. It is so easy to start a fight by looking like you are expecting one when you could have otherwise joked your way out of it.
I don't want to sound like all martial artist and arts need to do all this stuff, some people just do it for fun and fitness and that is just fine. I now that my work involves me being in situations where this stuff is important and I still think it would be an exageration to say it has saved my life - but who knows.