Sadly, the American culture (at least the prevalent American culture of today) is oppressively rigid, and I get reminded of it when I talk to those who don't live here and who are not hammered with a sack of anti-curiosity bricks on the head all day, and I suddenly feel normal!
There is a right and a wrong answer for everything all of a sudden. People start their sentences with "the science is clear on..." and then spit out an ideological monster that has nothing to do with science. This is unacceptable, and nothing good can come out of it.