Nobody with the power to stop them is interested in stopping them.

Right now it's mostly people that value free speech that are under assault. The vast majority of people have nothing to say that threatens the authoritarians. Most people are worried about everyday issues, where to live, what to eat, their children and mates. They may have to postpone that vacation they planned if they are middle class or buy less fast food if they are poor. From the average persons perspective the cost benefit analysis doesn't make resistance worthwhile. They can't even tell what they are resisting.

To me it looks like we are headed towards a Fascist future where governments and corporations control every aspect of our lives. Strip away the Chinese nationalism and China and it's social credit score looks as if it is our future.

Many people are freer than they have ever been. Free to take drugs and engage in pretty much any sexual behavior they want. Free to live where they want and change jobs on a whim. The older generation is free to enjoy their retirements as long as they don't talk about politics. Retirements more luxurious than any previous generations. Sure the Covid restrictions have caused average people a lot of misery but they expect that will pass. It is a case of the slow boiling frog, by time people wake up it's usually too late. The people who supported Hitler probably never expected their entire country to end up in ashes.

Is there a French Revolution in our future? That doesn't really have much appeal. That usually just means exchanging the Tzar for a Stalin. The king for a Napoleon.

I'm old and I have had a pretty good life, probably better than any previous generation on either side of my family. I was expecting to die in my sleep not in a concentration camp. If it comes to that I suppose I will still be counting my past blessing. In the meantime I plan on voting for people who promise to stop the insanity.

I'm beginning to think that all these mandates are a purposeful infringement upon the right to the freedom of association. The purpose of these mandates being to keep people from communicating with each other and alienating anyone that is not following a mandate, such as wearing a mask.
Ewwww... don't talk to anyone not wearing a mask. Creating that kind of a scenario.

"science" and "authoritarianism" when you think about it are mutually exclusive terms.

remember that at one time the "authoritarian" Church deemed that the Earth was the center of the universe...and that the Earth was flat. Remember that to challenge those authoritarian "truths" was heresy and punishable by imprisonment and or death and sometimes both.