"People are more sensitive these days"... except for all the times you've cried about me with your clever nickname, and I haven't just banned you? As opposed to 20+ years ago when there was rampant mod abuse and people got banned on a whim and for the LOLs, or because a mod didn't like you, or (years later by the same mods) you didn't like Alex Smith?
If you want to bring back the Wild West, I'll oblige and ban you for the LOLs...or uh, because I'm clearly so sensitive about it.
I was actually cleaning up a "Can't Start Threads" group the other day because I noticed several people had been in there since like 2004.... and guess what, I'd read the Mod Lounge thread about it and some were pretty random.
So yeah, I'm guessing more people have left throughout the years BECAUSE it was the Wild West.... and this site is still well known for being one of the least moderated boards out there.
Only the blowhards who can't help themselves from crying about politics in every thread are the ones impacted by the rule... we even stopped punting topics that could be headed to DC years ago and just booting the blowhards. Many people can talk about the topics you mentioned and there's been plenty mentions of politics that are totally fine in the Lounge. If you don't know how to discuss a topic without crying your opinion for the millionth time, can't help you there.
Perhaps stop being so sensitive about being booted from one thread 4.5 years ago, because there are now far FEWER things we take action on these days.