Some are. Some aren't.
The ones that are effective by today's standards have eliminated flashy moves, utilize economy of motion (shortest distance, simplest attack to target) and can be practiced with decent contact in a live, spontaneous setting.
If two instructors demonstrate techniques and the attacker assumes a stance that isn't found on the street or ring, then you might want to question the way this instructor has chosen to teach self-defense.
If the attacking demo person throws techniques without trying to make contact, then again you want to question its SD teaching.
If the attacking demo person stops moving before he/she is aggressively countered, its a yellow flag.
If the attacking demo throws the same combo again and again or attacks like a robot, its a yellow flag.
I think any martial art systems self-defense realism depends on how the instructor trains and prepares for it. If you do regular conditioning, its a plus. If you can practice self-defense techniques over, lets say a 5 minute time period with continuous action and against an aggressive attacker, its a plus.
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