The way I've come to see it is this: The problems with the Toa Empire are problems relevant to our own society. We need to stop and ask first: Do I value my Freedom, or my Safety more? It's a terrible, terrible question to ask, but a choice we are often being called on to make in this day and age. In order to be safer, you must allow for an infringement on your personal rights, or the rights of all persons, which is something you need to keep in mind. When an executive order is passed, say by the Emperor, to pick a neutral job, prohibiting assemblies period, and no evidence is shown that this was supported by the Parliament or what have you, by the people, then people ought to complain. You've been guaranteed your right to assemble peaceably, and the law shouldn't be changing that, especially not without your consent.
The difference is that Tuyet, personally, holds a lot more clout than any person on earth would, in the sense that most people around these parts don't have the strength of hundreds of men literally contained within themselves. They are human, no matter how charismatic or politically powerful. Although I suppose that, allegorically, Tuyet's power as a sway over her Toa is not much different than the power of many men and the sway over their soldiers.
The other part is that, just because Tuyet says she's doing all of this for The Greater Good, doesn't A) give her the right to define The Greater Good on her own, and B) doesn't mean it really is. Which is another really good point for our own modern world: Just because you've been told that "This will help here or fix that there," doesn't mean it will, and saying you're doing the right thing never means you absolutely are. Plenty of villains in the past have done unspeakably terrible things, believing they were doing the right thing.
So I know my point is scattered and unclear, but at once I say yes: the issues in Dark Mirror that have been raised are very relevant, but no: I don't think we're quite as bad as that yet. People can still say "I think this is absolutely bogus" to the government and not be executed for it-- within reason of course. You couldn't say "I think this elementary school is totally bogus," and proceed to demolish it yourself.
