I take exception to the claim pilots bring this on themselves.
Do you mean some pilots bring this on the industry?
The Captain in question did nothing to bring these events on himself - he made his employer aware of a safety risk, and then did the right thing, under immense pressure from the operator.
He was let down by his fellow pilots at that airline who mainly don't stand up for themselves, and then - to a degree - by his union.
I wonder how many of his fellows phoned up the union to insist they help him?
Dozens? Hundreds? Probably count them on the fingers of one hand.
There are good guys out there who do the right thing, but after events like this, there are probably less of them - not more.