Depressing. There are a lot of sincere folks caught up in this mess. Being told what exactly you can and cannot do is just plain suffocating. Being forced to squeeze much of the fun out of life-birthdays, holidays, going to college as a young man/woman is sad. Not being allowed to live and learn from our mistakes without the constant threat of being made a public spectacle and losing your family is cruel.
The main word I think of is depressing.