This is a question directed to people from different countries all around the world.
There are people in Russian whom I dubbed "sit-it-outs": those who'd rather sit it out than ask a question that's on their mind, speak up or do something they think is right, especially if there's an amount of unfamiliar people around, even if they mind their own business.
I remember what solidifed the image in my head: I've been riding a very early trolleybus home, and due to wetness and low temperatures, trolley cables got frosted, making the "horns" of the trolley elicit sparkles as it moved (with big difficulties, mind you). Not a single person asked about it (there was a conductor in the trolley); people just looked out of the window, clearly worried about the whole issue (it did look quite scary, like a cheap movie SFX that's happening to you, which suddenly makes it real).
Do other countries/cultures have that kind of attitude anywhere near common?