I don’t think we do too bad when it comes to general disputes. We all know that we, as a community, have difficulty agreeing on, well, lots of topics. Disputes that become heated are often sent to the tank with no further action.
The folks that get banned are usually the folk that break cardinal rules (posting private emails, personally identifying information, threats, manipulation/deceit). Continuous provocative posts to start battles can also get someone banned. Whether a ban is temporary or permanent is balanced with the seriousness of the activity, the history of individual, and whether that individual was baited or manipulated before hand (which occurs surprisingly often).
Few want to give up a on a principled argument. Understandably. The moderators will try several steps to try to deescalate a situation between individuals as best we can. One mechanism may be a PM (which I prefer). But, a “warning” or other action, may also occur in a specific thread, too. It’s situational, really.
I’ve received PMs from users demanding that someone gets banned because of “x”. They would claim RIU, for example, would in a similar circumstance instantly ban someone because it’s their “policy”.
But, when we look back, we find deleted and baiting posts. If moderators had to blindly follow a specific process or policy, you’ll get something similar to how other forums moderate. And, an uptick on “banning”.
The moderators try their best to head off brewing trouble early on. They take a situational look at what is and what had occurred. While some things repeat, many situations tend to be unique and it deserves personal attention. If a person is having a difficult period or a bad day, we understand that. We are people, too. We are not perfect. We engage in adult behavior. We have bad days, too. We also love the OG community and culture.