Well, the word web doesn't sound so free either. It's being used by spiders to trap and kill their prey after all. The blockchain may sound constrictive, but I never really thought of it that way until you brought it up. I'm pretty sure the naming doesn't matter too much.
Regulation isn't always synonymous with control, so while they can regulate it, I don't think it will be the end of the world. Regulations are rolling out, even as we speak, and short of exchange bans or outright bans, they don't seem to affect people too much. Take the internet for example, there are lots of regulations, yes, but there's still lots of freedom going around, and even ways existing to bypass most regulations.
Do we have an exit plan if it turns out it wasn't what we wanted, just like the internet where we're so dependant on now.
I'm pretty sure most users are educated with the risks. This is why people often advocate not keeping coins in exchanges, using hardware wallets, taking security precautions like tor, etc. I don't know about exit plans, but if it fails, then it fails; everyone has to acknowledge that there is a chance, no matter how small, that this can happen, and the degree of preparation depends on the individual.