Pre-Internet things were kind of better IMO, the only place you got bullied was in the school Playground for a start.
Nowadays bullying is rife on most forums, and I know you won't thank me for saying this but in most cases the Mods on forums are powerless to do anything about intense bullying, because even if the bully gets hit with the banning stick, he still comes back under an alias, everybody knows it's him from the posting style, but can't prove it.
I wouldn't be so sure of people slipping under the radar here if I were you.
We have some pretty trick tools at our disposal and a close watchful eye on what goes on, as you should already well know.
We have had the displeasure of removing a few unsavory members that have tried, but they are no longer here because like you said, they cannot break character and generally out themselves.
Often times, members feel we are either too harsh, or sit on our hands when it comes to dealing with imbalances. There are tons of behind the scenes details that are handled in the background every single day without being shared with the membership.
Sometimes they are first in/first out, while other times they are handled in order of most importance.
This isn't a slipshod operation by any means, and it requires a good deal of our personal time to make that happens for you, the members who come here daily.
We have to read over each new post to see if they are within the guidelines set in the very rules each of you agreed to when you signed on here.
There are the reports that need handled each time they come in, which require even more reading before staff decisions can be made. Often times we read subject matter that we totally don't agree with or even have the slightest interest in, but it is a part of the job we signed on for.
Another part of our duties here is to never share the outcomes of how or what direction decisions were made, so that none of you can form opinions based on what you perceive could or should happen to other members.
In the future, please be assured that the staff here is diligent in keeping order and I'm personally proud of how they handle the day to day chores on a volunteer basis.