To OP:

I can understand where you're coming from in that some people will mature over time and that if you're playing a game for a period of years, something you did back when you were 13 and didn't know any better shouldn't be held against you as an adult, but at the same time, I've played these games for years and not once have I been reported for something that a gm has felt the need to contact me over. It's not hard to get by without being reported if you're reasonably polite and stick to yourself and your own groups. Typically the ones I report are putting energy into trolling and/or being blatantly disrespectful, and even then, the majority of those cases I wouldn't consider enough to put a mark on their account unless they've been reported for the same behavior often enough. I think that if your behavior is enough to count against you, and it's consistent enough to practically get you banned, then hopefully getting banned will be enough to get through to you that it's not okay to act that way.

I also don't quite understand the mentality that you can't play the game anymore for fear of getting reported and banned, because if you're afraid of getting banned, wouldn't you just quit acting out instead of trying to excuse yourself and place blame elsewhere? Which would mean that you're still free to play the game as you wish as long as your behavior towards other players changes.