One observation I've made almost consistently about Americans, especially the well-off ones, is that they emphasise formality above everything else in social settings, including the art of saving face. Think of those who are known for being "kind and generous" and who seem to have almost zero "friction" with anyone, even strangers they've just met. It's all a little façade. They reserve certain judgements for themselves (and their spouses), keeping them private while putting on a show of universal amiability to avoid awkwardness and make social interactions run smoothly. Wouldn't it be funny as fuck if they were publicly opinionated about all sorts of things, e.g., partisan politics, yet at the same time refused to "assess" those around them in private? 😊 Now, imagine divorcing someone after years of marriage, during which you shared many things, including circles of friends. An amicable separation serves less as a coping mechanism than as a mutual way of protecting each other from bad press (and keeping secrets under wraps) and, of course, making things less awkward when you bump into each other at social occasions.