I don't think Americans 'take the piss out of' people the way the English and Australians do. It can seem sometimes as if you are being personally attacked when you aren't. Our sense of humor is different, I think. I also think we aren't as accustomed to name-calling, or at least when we do, we are more likely to mean it. "*******" for instance, is not a term we typically use in a casual way.