Not GP, but I think the point made was that McCarthyism is precedent of US citizens getting into serious trouble because of things they said. It's a counter-example to the assumption that the US government will protect its citizens' free speech.
McCarthyism ended in around 1962.
During this era, homosexuality was still illegal, abortions were punished with prison time, and people with varying skin complexions still couldn’t drink from the same water fountains.
In terms of social progress, McCarthyism was only acceptable to a society totally alien to the one we live in today.
I wouldn't be surprised if the US start to make the life of China sympathizers difficult in near future if China becomes more competitive.
To me, the end of McCarthyism is the first point in the great wave of American social change that began in the 60s.
But moving on...
> I wouldn't be surprised if the US start to make the life of China sympathizers difficult in near future if China becomes more competitive.
I think that China is largely viewed as a 'foregin nation', whereas communism (whcih is what McCarthyism railed against) was an ideology.
You can adopt an ideology and still remain patriotic--China is a good example of how to take communism and fuse it with your countries national soul. However, you can't really 'adopt' a foregin power.
Because of that China will likely find itself with a lot less sympathizers than communism. The existing sympathizers will likely be people who are ethnically Chinese, which would make it difficult for the government to pressure them due to concerns over racism.
1962 wasn't even 60 years ago. The president of the USA was already an adult at that time.