I know quite some people who live this way, and are very willing to overcome inconvenient hurdles to avoid having to use such a spying device.
This is kind of a lazy approach, and it's a good thing Stallman did not have that attitude towards personal computers.
But it's a bummer that there's no real equivalent for mobile devices. I use an Android device and I already consider it to be more locked down than Windows. Generally more irritating than Windows as well (maybe not Windows 11)
I also use it as little as possible (unfortunately more and more things require it) and try to get the smallest functional (for me) Android devices.
To actually free yourself requires both commitment on your end and work on other people's end, those people who help facilitate alternatives and guide others to having more freedom and privacy. We need more of that work.
The speakers of the world have their place, of course, but that's not the most important part of the solution.
Such people both lead by example, and try to inspire others towards following their example/lifestyle. The problem rather is that most people want a different lifestyle (in the particular example of privacy and freedom "one with less radical consequences", which I consider to be rather contradictory, but this discussion shall be off topic).
To give an analogue: many vegetarians both lead by example, and inspire others to become vegetarians. But many people nevertheless don't want to become vegetarians.
I've edited my post to not claim that all Stallman did was talk, which would've been wrong.
Like GNU?
The real heroes are the people that facilitate alternatives, not those who talk, and Stallman was of the talking variety.