After nearly ten years of being a TB member, I would have to say this is absolutely correct. The rules are broken all the time, sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes by members trying to push the boundaries. And nearly everytime, the offending post is edited or removed and the poster given a warning with the specific infraction spelled out.
Wise members heed the warnings - it's as simple as that. I received a few warnings in my first couple of years, and like most prudent TBers, declined to take a stand for my right to free speech (which is meaningless on a privately owned forum) or my right to be a jerk (which is really dumb) or just because I feel like arguing.
Accept the warning and move on.
Those who have been banned here are gone because they clearly demonstrated to the mods that they weren't at all interested in respecting other members, regardless of how many warnings they received.
It was a controversial thread (a builder vs buyer sort of a thing). The comment was a general one - definitely not aimed at one specific person.
I'm quite certain that day will eventually come for me.
