virtues of the 'stiff upper lip'

After 7/7 events and the botched, fortunately, attempts last Thursday I heard two things over and over again. The authorities urged people not to give in to the terrorists and go about their daily business us usual.For their part, the courageous Britons displayed the famous 'stiff upper lip' which would manifest itself in the determination to carry on and have that evening pint mere hours after attacks.
I am not quite sure what the 'stiff upper lip' used to mean in the past but I doubt it involved placing one's head in the sand determined to ignore what's going on. Given the history of the 'nanny state' it's understandable what's the message the authorities are trying to convey to the public: Let US handle this, move on, and most importantly treat it as a law enforcement operation not a major societal crisis.
I see nothing courageous or commendable in just having a pint without having a major discussion on the 'root causes' of the bombings. And no, I don't mean the war in Iraq, British foreign policy, imperialism and other 'straw men' of the Left. If I were British, I'd like to find out how come loyal subjects of the Crown turned up so manifestly unloyal to it.