That's a fairly broad take that didn't really apply to me. I wanted to impact education policy in the US because I noticed how decrepit it was. I was denied that opportunity but managed to get some top tier data analytic skills through the process that I could capitalize on if I was willing to work in the private sector (such as health insurance or financial industry predictive models). There is still massive demand for those skills.

But I don't do that, not because of sunk cost but because I don't want to contribute to systems I find immoral. I took a job in a Psychology department, which isn't my field, since it lets me teach while taking care of my children.

You are right, though, the research field has some serious issues that need to be resolved. There has been some push for open source materials that people can contribute to, but given the current state of affairs globally, it's not something people can really deal with right now.

That said, a PhD in any research profession is a passion project. You don't do it for money, but for intellectual curiosity or some other reason. Towards that end, they should be stubborn -- they're already rejecting the idea that education is a means towards profit.

Unfortunately, that also means most PhDs are already wealthy going into it (especially those who can actually afford to finish) which means, at least in education and politics, those perspectives dominate the field. It's a real problem when they don't understand how 99% of the rest of us live.

Out of curiosity, which field did you need to leave? Each has their own problems.