It's the job of the corporate media and the politicians to prevent us from digging beneath the surface and uncovering the truth. Once you start to see through the myth of status, possessions, and unlimited consumption as a path to happiness, you'll find that you have all kinds of freedom and time. Then you can start putting your time to good use. Sheer, naked force has many disadvantages as a means of social control, not the least of which is that, when it's applied, people are aware of being oppressed and therefore may seek freedom. It's much more effective to get people to want to obey, to believe that disobedience is sin and obedience is virtue.
Activists tend to focus on the suffering caused by political injustice.