people are more reactive (in the US) because, among other things, the US has no safety net, so everyone's afraid you're going after their job once a fight reaches a certain size.
and any time you point out a thing needs to be changed that would mean positions removed / people rotated, there's always the turtling up closing ranks and destroying your organization because no one can imagine finding a new job or covering the gap.
I have had in my circles maybe ten people in my life of any income bracket who aren't three-to-six months of joblessness from being unable to afford to rent housing and simultaneously unable to pay to move. And some jobs take longer than that to transition from for people.
and when losing friends means losing their "personal safety net" (I say this with the most scorn you can imagine) means that every argument can feel life and death if the person isn't secure in income or housing. Or thinks they won't be soon.
anyway. just some thoughts.
update 2023.06.19:
it's not so much a lack of a safety net, but a negative one. you pay so much more for everything here, and get the luxury of having to do all the paperwork for them too