I think the recurring theme is whether every individual is strong enough to deserve truth and freedom. I'm a West-leaned person so I want to believe yes, but empirically I know this is not the case for many (perhaps myself included!), and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a society which believes otherwise. They might not be a total dictatorship, but people would think some form of oppression is necessary or even preferred. I feel China is certainly one of those countries, but can't really say if most Western countries are polar opposite. It's a perpetual dilemma.
p.s. the country I live (Japan) is rather wishy-washy about this. The law in theory respects individual freedom, but in reality people don't really appreciate the idea that much. And I see a plenty of people who believe that the government will never do anything wrong.
I think the key point is that governments are made of fallible people too. If not everyone deserves individual freedom, then certainly not everyone deserves power over others. And autocracies don't provide any facility for ensuring that those in power are in any way deserving.
p.s. the country I live (Japan) is rather wishy-washy about this. The law in theory respects individual freedom, but in reality people don't really appreciate the idea that much. And I see a plenty of people who believe that the government will never do anything wrong.