Somebody somewhere at sometime said so.....

If Karate do, that is the way of Karate, is about stripping away the Ego, then why do so many Karateka have one....?

Double standards are everywhere.  From your low ranks to experienced Karateka who have been training for years.

Have you ever noticed that in martial arts magazines, you never see anyone interviewed below the Rank of 4th Dan.....
It's almost as if they are saying that if you're not at this perceived level (and I've seen some shit 4th Dan's,  trust me)....then you don't  really have an opinion.

There's a lot of emphasis placed on title. And of course this way of thinking is rubbish.

Sensei, Shihan, Renshi Kyoshi, Kancho......all titles that you could say command respect.
 I've heard it many times that you're not a recognised Sensei until you reach 3rd Dan. Until then you may be called Senpai if you don the coveted Blackbelt that is.
Renshi at 6th Dan and Kyoshi at 7th, assuming you do more for Karate than merely teach. And Kancho if you're head of your organization. It's all very militaristic of course and has developed into what it is over a period of time.
I presume (ref my previous post) that in the beginnings of Karate non of this existed and, most of it exists today simply because " Somebody, somewhere at sometime said so."

There is lots of hearsay about Karate on the internet....about its history, who trained under who, why this and that was developed.
But that's exactly wh a t it is, hearsay. And although there are some snipets of genuine info to be had, much remains conjecture....

Usually what we think we know is because somebody somewhere at sometime said so ......