First of all, regular people have jobs and no, most of them have NEVER, not once, in the entire history of American. ever taken to the streets to complain about a single thing.
Secondly, those bad old days of the 1960s, when people were marching against American involvement in Nam, THEY WERE NOT "REGULAR PEOPLE" AT ALL! Rather, they were card carrying Commies, RED DIAPER BABIES, fellow travelers, bunches of brain dead kids, who were out for a "good time" ( all of that sex, drugs, and rock&roll crap ), young men who, having NO patriotism whatsoever, were out to save their sorry skins from the draft, but to scared and/or too poor to run away to Canada or be in college or teach and their mothers and girl friends. Those marches and riots, were paid for, instigated by, and set up by the KGB and their American operatives.
Secondly, take a look at factual history and learn from it! When, before the late 1960s, did other Americans ever march against something? Well, there were those WW II vets, who went to D.C. and staged a riot/protest, to get the monies they claimed were due them. Not many went and MacArthur had then fired on.
Some Irish immigrants took to the streets of N.Y. C. and lynched blacks, burned down orphanages and yes, rioted till blood DID flow in the streets, because of the Civil War draft. But that was only in N.Y.C.; not all over the country, nor even in D.C.!
There was the HAY MARKET RIOT, but again, that was only in Chicago, was fomented by lefty agitprops, and had NOTHING whatsoever to do with government policies at any level.
I can continue in this vein, but these few examples really should be enough to disabuse of the opinion that it's only recently that most American don't "rise up and complain" about things. THEY NEVER HAVE DONE!
Now, you may be about to ask me WHY that is so, but please don't. I DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
Hell, even at the time of the FFs, about 1/3 of the people here were against fighting for our freedom from England, another 1/3, or so didn't care either way and ignored it all, and while 1/3 were for it, even Thomas Jefferson refused to join in and actually take up arms and fight.
Anyhow there were great demonstrations that you didn't mention in the earlier part of the century, but it really doesn't matter. It's a different time now, and the people, imo, are completely controlled by the influence of media . Simply, the media is everywhere.
You know, I can't help feeling that many people really missed something by NOT going through a short period (at least) where they rebelled from "the establishment" and acted out a little -- as you sarcastically refer, "all of that sex, drugs, and rock&roll crap". You seemed to have missed that period. Did you never enjoy a good joint or two in your life? If so, that's a shame, imo. ;-)
Anyhow, you are right about the communist instigators and agitators in the anti-war demonstrations. Recently exposed Soviet papers have proven that. But there were a substantial number of relatively reasonable and good people who took part in those demonstrations too. And let's not forget the good people who took part in the civil rights walks and demonstrations in the early 60's. Not all demonstrations, or as you wish to seem to want to call them "riots" were numbered with a bunch of hooligans. Along with the trouble makers and hangers-on, there was really a majority of well-meaning participants.