My understanding is that we can't really ban people permanently. We don't do IP bans (which can be circumvented anyways), so as long as a user doesn't (1) keep doing bannable stuff or (2) make it apparent that they're a banned user, they can easily get back in.
So why not do warnings, temp bans, etc.? It adds a whole layer of administrative work for the mods and a bunch more opportunities for people to dispute how they've been treated. A system that creates a bunch of work isn't a great one, and we want to have a way to push back on shitty behavior without causing tons of "I've been treated so unfairly!" drama. Making bans less of a big deal would accomplish both, and (because we can't perma ban people anyway) it would have the same effect on more persistent assholes.
My understanding is that we can't really ban people permanently. We don't do IP bans (which can be circumvented anyways), so as long as a user doesn't (1) keep doing bannable stuff or (2) make it apparent that they're a banned user, they can easily get back in.
So why not do warnings, temp bans, etc.? It adds a whole layer of administrative work for the mods and a bunch more opportunities for people to dispute how they've been treated. A system that creates a bunch of work isn't a great one, and we want to have a way to push back on shitty behavior without causing tons of "I've been treated so unfairly!" drama. Making bans less of a big deal would accomplish both, and (because we can't perma ban people anyway) it would have the same effect on more persistent assholes.