I'd say we've come a long way since then. I don't deny the dirty. To be fair to this community, I think it's not perfect but it's a lot better than those days.
Even with free downvotes, though at first they were used heavily, in order to solve a problem that was driving most of us mad, I'd say now, for the most part, the downvotes work more like a deterrent; a security camera of sorts. People know, eventually, their exploits will come back to bite them in the butt.
I don't expect to ever live in a perfect world. Without the chaos, there's no concept of calm.
P.S. Been awhile! Good to see you around again. Welcome back and all that.