That's a good point, and I wonder if someone studying pop culture seriously would endeavour to actually do broad, data-driven analysis of this stuff to identify

That's a good point, and I wonder if someone studying pop culture seriously would endeavour to actually do broad, data-driven analysis of this stuff to identify what the actual impetuses of it all are. I think that public opinion is basically irrelevant, as most people are not really offended by all of this stuff. But special interest groups, individuals with power, and institutions acting out of caution, and occasionally opportunity (i.e. how can we make money or leverage this scandal?) would be sup-groups to identify and characterize.