There are every kind of people in a society. Few more educated and enlightened and few not. The people who did not react the way they should have might not be intelligent enough to judge the situation or like any normal human being does not want to get involve into any kind of situation or might be just pure rednecks.
As of my own experience and with the conversation with other fellow muslims, I found American society more torrent to muslims even more than our own muslim society to different sects.