Agreed, but that doesn't mean it's easy. For one, there's so many dark patterns and bad actors in so many sectors of your life. I might be aware of the 80% of stuff that's happening (and hopefully it's the most likely 80%) but I'm not aware of that other 20% and there's always new bad things that come up. It's a constant battle, and many people just don't have the bandwidth to keep up.
Education is a defense. Once a person is aware of the psychological dark patterns being used against them, they start becoming less susceptible. Whether it's by video games, salesmen, politicians, etc. education is the best defense.