You have a good point here. How much can you do in front of others? It has been debated a lot and seems to me to have a bearing on the original topic as well.
I believe the question is, how much is safe to do in front of others, and how much is it ethical to do in front of others.
The first depends entirely on where you are.
The second: I'd say it depends on the specific situation. If, for instance, you are somewhere where people cannot get away or where it would make difficulties if they did - a bus, a plane, waiting in line, at a meeting or the like - IMO you should not do anything overt at all.
If, say, you are in a park, and go to a place where there aren't anyone right by already, I'd say it is ok to do stuff - if safe. People can just walk past. Likewise, IMO taking someone on a leash in a mall is ok by me, if safe. People can just move on.
Kneeling and so on is also ok. Anything that does not look like the sub is in trouble or in danger.