The comparison is very apt. My mother always says how this current climate in the US reminds her of the Cultural Revolution, and told me on many occasions about how one of her physicist friends got "struggled" against because he had the temerity to claim that the sun had black spots, and it was taken a a veiled criticism against Chairman Mao and the party. It was just a struggle session where he had to wear the dunce cap--no jail time, but I'm sure it was quite a frightful experience.