So really you are saying that what comes across as a negative attitude towards kilt-hire is essentially a cultural difference given the preponderance of Americans here with their own societal attitude towards the costume hire industry. You do say, however, that there appears a “wide-spread fear” of doing it wrong which may account for the obvious susceptibility to regard one individual as the oracle of all things kilted, who must be obeyed and never contradicted.
I have never thought of Americans as unquestioning followers and, in fact, they always seem to happily concoct their own versions of whatever it is so perhaps this is all part of them developing their own kilt-wearing culture independently of anything Scottish, especially if items such as gillie brogues are difficult to source so, what the hell, we’ll do our American thing and just wear the shoes we can get in the store.