I think the state of affairs on the moderation side is a lot more banal than you allege. But that doesn't preclude the likelihood of there being bots, shills and propagandists active.
My general gripe with the level of discourse here isn't necessarily topical as much it is based on my impression that the community has reached some sort of Dunning-Kruger-Dunbar number where the threshold of people knowledgeable in some areas who engage in curious debate in other areas has been breached by people who think the purpose of the site is winning arguments/handwringing and other nefarious actors.
My general gripe with the level of discourse here isn't necessarily topical as much it is based on my impression that the community has reached some sort of Dunning-Kruger-Dunbar number where the threshold of people knowledgeable in some areas who engage in curious debate in other areas has been breached by people who think the purpose of the site is winning arguments/handwringing and other nefarious actors.