The shit is in the US too, sadly. And yeah, it's unfortunate that shitty people will get the dogs... but those people would cause any dog to be aggressive and ill-tempered. It has nothing to do with the breed whatsoever. Pits love to please, so the only reason they may be seen as more aggressive and crazy is because when people want them to be that way, they really want to live up to their owner's expectation. If you want a pit to be all cuddles and bunnies, it will be more than happy to oblige you that way, too.
If anyone has any interest, I have links to a number of pit-related organizations on Facebook.