As a commercial airline pilot, I routinely flew in weather much worse than any I experienced as a Naval Aviator, for a variety of reasons (most that A4s has already mentioned).
Certainly not lemming-like, there is nevertheless a bit of follow-the-leader in the airline pilot's go/no-go decision-making. I.E., before the current specific and limiting deicing procedures, I used to chuckle at the morning flights where everyone would take-off without deicing... until one guy decided to de-ice – whether needed or not. After that, everybody de-iced, even though the meteorological circumstances hadn't changed.
Likewise on approaches. Have guys ahead of you getting in, despite the wx, and there is a strong tendency for everyone to "give it a try," despite the conditions. But have one guy refuse approach clearance and ask for a vector because of a cell and wind shear; most everyone follows his lead, regardless of whether his refusal was justified or not.
One memorable incident – several of us were at the departure end at MCI one night, with thunder and lightning all about the field. Radar showed a narrow but clear corridor off the departure end, but none of us were about to risk it. It was a really nasty night. Of course it was WN who finally piped up, requesting take-off... and off he went into the night.
While we would have normally waited longer until the wx improved, but seeing Southwest go started us thinking (and the others holding short) maybe we might give it a go. But before we made our decision, we asked tower to get a WN pirep. WN came back with,
"Tell those guys to stay on the deck! They want no part of this! We are getting the living crap beat out of us!" 
So we continued delaying our departure, just as we would have anyway, had not WN decided to go. And we had a nice, safe, smooth departure; watching all the fireworks that had now passed on northeastward, and our flight attendants started their service.
) ... 
Lots of monday morning quarterbacking went on after that one...
