I guess you’re right. I had a similar experience, but from the opposite perspective. There was a prominent case of racist attacks in my area and I was trying to talk about it, to my group of friends nonetheless.
I had to accept that other people won’t share the same exact values as myself, even if I believed it was the right cause. They were the 3rd party, the disengaged and occupied with their own life businesses. Its not that I “abandoned my beliefs”, but learn to identify proper audience and tone it down when it wasn’t the case.
It’s the modern life and it’s complexity I’m afraid. Salaries, taxes, credits, insurances, permits, licenses, etc - it’s too much to handle all at once. Some choose to focus on what they can afford to with what little remains of their energy after an exhausting work shift. I can’t really blame the individuals caught in this.