Losing your job is one thing.
Losing your career. Being black-balled from an industry. Getting put on all kinds of govern-cement lists. Getting harassed by govern-cement officials. And often being outed in your own community. Your "friends" turning their back on you.
This goes further as govern-cement black ops will play games with you, like move your parked car. Break into your home and move things around. Play with your phone calls. Bamf your web surfing.
And then there are the people that just disappear.
I get what you are saying. I really do. And the only real safety is in numbers. If tons of people all speak out, then there is not a single point to squash.
The price is horrible to pay, but often one person is enough to open the flood gates.
I can honestly suggest to some people, just plan to leave the country. Your life is destroyed. Gone. There is no coming back; no starting over, here.
The louder you speak out to as large an audience as possible, the likelihood of assassination decreases.
Yes, it can be a horrible price.
Dr. Andrew Wakefield did leave his own country of England over all of this, and go to the USA. Probably because the press there was hounding him.
Dr. Mikovitz (above) lost her great career as a scientist and was even jailed for a week.
I know that it can be complex and some cases more dangerous than others, but for the most part people are not speaking out only because they don't want to be made fun of or lose a job.