There was an article in the Telegraph in the aftermath of 11/09, which covered much of this ground (although no access to CVR at that stage).
It remarked that for the most part, the airline industry tries to induce passivity and acceptance in passengers, and Americans are largely unable to accept responsibility for their own lives (hence the litigious nature of US society). It suggested that the refusal of the passengers on this flight to simply accept their lot, but to try to fight back, was a sign of a more heroic component that many people had thought lost for good in the American psyche.