Or do only despicable North Koreans criticise the leader?
As a leftists I would say "kinda", iff you manage to do so in a way that actually violates the law and gets you sent to prison as the US prison industrial complex in part exists to provide extremely cheap domestic labor. But even then I would argue that despite the negligence the prison system shows to the health and safety of its inmates the conditions are hardly comparable to what political prisoners face in North Korea.
You're right that morals are somewhat subjective (and, I'd argue, rarely consistent because nobody bothers thinking through all the implications of the absolute moral claims they make) but if you for example hold any of the positions I described in the first paragraph of this comment, I'd argue that the problem isn't "hot takes", the problem is a diametrically opposed idea of what "good" and "harmful" mean when making moral assessments.
And no, there aren't forced labour camps, but that risk is never there for many westerners. what constitutes a risk is relative.
You are the one who brought up North Korea. I'm relieved to hear that you don't think you'll literally be thrown in a forced labor camp for having bad opinions but what's the point of bringing it up if it's not at all comparable? What threats to your life are you facing for being explicit about your opinions rather than hiding them behind euphemisms, ambiguity and plausible deniability?
Speaking of which, what is exactly is the "reality-based" heresy you think GP "dared" to say? You seem to be agreeing with something but too sheepish to spell it out. HN is supposed to be a place for discussion, so please state your actual opinion if you want to participate in a discussion.
EDIT: You can hold "heretical" opinions and not be a coward, by the way. I'm neither a liberal nor a libertarian so my political opinions fall well outside the general consensus both online and offline and I've faced pushback in all kinds of spaces. But if you talk politics with me, I'll openly tell you my beliefs without sugarcoating them.