[luckylion]

Are you suggesting that basic decency wasn't a thing on SO/SE before? I can count the number of rude interactions I've witnessed on two hands, and all of them were either people being angry about their shitty questions being flagged or fundamental disagreements over how software development should be done.

This wasn't a significant problem for the community as a whole. Certainly, any individual might be hurt when it happens, but let's keep some perspective. I've also not heard anything about mods not being able to deal with instances when it happened. There were people trying to be within an inch of the rules (on other issues, I've never seen gender being an issue at all), and they were all easily dealt with because SO never claimed to apply any rules by the letter only.

Granted, I'm speaking for the technical sites, law.se or pets.se may be terrible places, but I doubt it. Where did you witness that lack of basic decency?