Having been Branded with a huge "T" on my forehead.....I can understand only too well the risk one takes when you make that decision and stand up to the system. The key is choosing when to make that broadjump. As the wife of one of my dear friends said...."The money is no good if you are not around to spend it...and I would rather have my husband home with me than in his grave."
Having tilted more than a few windmills in my time...singling out important issues is the key to making change. But that being said, when it comes to bad engineering practices, unsafe equipment, hazardous operational procedures/policies, then one must decide at what point the risks are unreasonable.
The engineering and mechanical condition of the aircraft at one operator got so bad for a while....pilots began to leave in droves or just refused to fly the machines. It did not make the company change its ways until the very senior management was forced to admit the situation following input from the pilots and the customer . Unfortunately for the company, a former company Chief Engineer was the new Engineering Manager for the customer and he knew too well the games being played. That situation ultimately was addressed with a large shakeup in the local managements.
Each of us has the ability to make effective change, but only at a personal cost. Sometimes it is worth it.