Likely the same reason folks in China and Singapore accept a panopticon. It's a safe, comfortable environment. I feel dramatically safer at 2am in Shanghai than I do in any US city. It's not the trade-off I want for myself, but it's understandable - and were I born there, I might even endorse it.
To the extent that the economy is doing well and folks feel like the country is headed in a positive direction they're generally willing to accept an awful lot from the state.
When that inevitably changes though (due to cyclicality), things tend to get spicy.
> I feel dramatically safer at 2am in Shanghai than I do in any US city.
To be fair, the US is a poor example. I’d feel safer in any European city at 2am then in a US city in the middle of the day. At least I don’t have to worry about being shot for no reason.¹ In the US I was reminded of that possibility every time I walked into a museum.
To the extent that the economy is doing well and folks feel like the country is headed in a positive direction they're generally willing to accept an awful lot from the state.
When that inevitably changes though (due to cyclicality), things tend to get spicy.
Don't suspect this has much to do with the King.