Just gonna throw my 2 cents in here. In my time here I have witnessed a number of bans occur, mostly less than a week but at least one permanent. In each case the person was given advanced notice that they were being overly inflammatory, outright disrespectful to other members (or mods), or that doxing was not allowed (IE: picture/comment deleted and a public warning about it). In all cases I have seen moderators attempt to defuse the situation before it became a banable offence, even while defending against personal attacks. These are also the only actions I can see as a regular member. Even then, the permanent ban I witnessed was reduced to I believe 30 days (didnt track the exact time, but they popped back up about a month later) and that person is a contributing member again. I personally feel that the moderation team we have are competent, not power hungry, and have my full trust and support. The fact that they are hand selected from the community based on their contributions and personality is a plus for me. Each have been around long enough to see that they are competent with the plant, as well as their interactions with other members. They were asked to take on the responsibility of ensuring the forums stay uncluttered, and to help ensure the safety of its members, and accepted, instead of vying to be the next one with power.
This isnt the same world we lived in 15-20 years ago. Back then almost everyone was operating under the radar and most had the same concerns as far as the plant goes. These days the industry is much more volatile. Theres legal money in the game now, and that changes EVERYTHING. Differing opinions are going to happen much more often than they used to. From what I’ve seen, as long as its civil, not personally attacking, or baseless accusations, all discussions are welcome here. (As you can see by the fact that this thread is both still alive, and being discussed by members, and staff, of differing opinions)