Been re-reading Wei Jingsheng's "The Courage To Stand Alone"

This is an astonishing book, and one of the finest examples of Chinese dissident literature that I can think of off the top of my head.

Anyway, I came across the following paragraph. Does some of what he writes about sound familiar?

Fatheadedness has so reduced everything but politics into matters of such insignificance that the sole factor determining human existence in China is politics. Therefore, people have little choice but to waste most of their energy on politics, which has been blown way out of proportion for far too long. This has served to increase both the intensity and complexity of political disputes, and caused the vulgar ruthlessness of politics to infect and disease science and culture as well. To use political standards to judge science and culture, not to mention people of talent, is as worthless as breeding a donkey with a thoroughbred. It blurs the lines between right and wrong, and good and bad in science and culture, and breaks down the natural process of weeding out the inferior and choosing the superior. This is chaotic enought in the short term, but in the long term you will find that science and culture lag behind.

Inquiring minds want to know.

YZ