I don't think milquetoast is the right term (not less because it hasn't really left North America). People seem more angry than timid.

There are problems, some are very visible, some are present but not very visible, and some are imaginary.

There is a growing discontent like I have not seen in my lifetime, and I don't think much of it can be characterised as unjustified. The problem is the narratives that people are forming about those problems are mostly all wrong. This is easily provable by showing how mutually exclusive all of the narratives are, the correctness of any one of them would invalidate many more.

I don't don't have the expertise or data to conclusively show what the cause of any particular aspect. To make a guess, I would look to history and note that those who blame the new thing are usually wrong, and those who warn about actions being done without regard to the consequences are usually right.

People are angry and want to understand what is causing the problems, and it seems the unscrupulous have found that an answer to their questions is effective, even if it is a fiction.