So -basically- SO says that a lot of its contributors behave like bullies but, being unable to actually yell at them (because SO needs them) tries to fuzzy out/alleviate the issue by taking the blame for them. I don't see any way that can work out.
For what is worth I can testify my own little experience from that pit.
* Contributors who downvote other answers without any excuse/explanation/commend (I guess it makes their own answer seem better).
* A tiny minority of users ever upvoting (that's a largely thankless community).
* Moderators that are being extra harsh with language usage (I'd say most of SO users are not native English speakers but this does not stop some native ones considering themselves somehow superior). *Extended usage of points, badges and several other facebooky notifications to tap into your dopamine receptors.
