I always find weird that some people pick the martial art they want to practice mainly on the basis of how effective in a real street fight it is supposed to be.
I mean, come on, how many times in your life did you actually engage in a fight that would have required the use of a martial art in order to save yourself from a cruel trashing? Or just a simple, 1on1 fight? If the answer if often, then maybe your attitude is the problem here or then, you living in a real shitty neighborhood and you can just as well pack a gun. (for dissuasion, don't use it)
Plus, know what? If you actually find yourself the target of some aggressive dude, odds are you are going to freeze, forget you ever did any Karate or whatever and just fight whatever way you can or run.
Wanna do Aikido? Judo? Go for it. No, it's most likely never going to be of any use in a brawl or during a riot but it's fun, good for your health and it comes with a nice piece of healthy philosophy for your daily life.