In a way, you're not wrong... but I think actually doing enough requires ordinary citizens to rise up en masse, and I think they realize that's not going to happen, so unfortunately the safer option seems to be walking on eggshells.
The only institution that matters once a regime rejects law and order, is we the people. If the people roll over, then they are submitting to their dominators, and no one is free.
Same thing has been happening at least since the Mayans... they refused to give up their lifestyles even in the face of their own surrounding natural resources being eaten up from their fast expansion, and they eventually died off.