Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Ich bin ein Berliner (concept) 1 — Famous JFK speech in Berlin that spawned a false Reddit factoid claiming he accidentally called himself a jelly donut.

Origin of the Species (book) 1 — Charles Darwin's foundational work on evolution, referenced in a copypasta satirizing conservative Christian talking poi...

Navy SEAL (concept) 1 — U.S. military special operations force, referenced in a satirical copypasta as embodying conservative patriotic ideals.

SWOT analysis (concept) 1 — A business strategy framework applied to analyzing different types of criminal activity in terms of profitability and ri...

Bacardi (concept) 1 — A rum brand mentioned as one of the few basic options stocked at decent bars, reflecting rum's declining popularity.

Captain Morgan (concept) 1 — A rum brand mentioned alongside Bacardi as representative of limited rum selection at bars.

The Thief and His Mother (book) 1 — An Aesop fable about a thief whose mother enabled his criminal behavior, told by the author's mother as a moral lesson.

Powell's Books (place) 1 — A famous independent bookstore in Portland where the author witnessed their girlfriend's cruel behavior toward a disable...

Karen O (person) 1 — Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman who collaborated with Swans on 'song for a warrior,' mentioned as a more accessible musical c...

Padaria Portuguesa (place) 1 — Portuguese cafe chain described as "dreadful" where the author attempted to use the toilet during a blackout.

John Stamos (person) 1 — Actor noted as doing mobile game commercials, one of the first celebrities the author noticed struggling financially.

Anthony Starr (person) 1 — Actor from The Boys doing mobile game commercials despite the show's ongoing success.

Steve Martin (person) 1 — Comedian appearing in commercials with Martin Short where he jokes about forgetting his money.

Myelin Sheath (concept) 1 — Biological structure used as example of objective scientific fact, contrasted with metaphysical questions being presente...

Rojava (concept) 1 — Kurdish autonomous administration project in Syria described as hopeful but now facing violent repression.

Al Nusra (concept) 1 — Jihadist organization whose former members are now described as Syrian government troops attacking Rojava.

Silk Sonic (person) 1 — Musical duo referenced in a parody of American Psycho's business card scene using Spotify Wrapped.

Tick, Tick... Boom! (film) 1 — A musical theater film criticized as schlock that exemplifies the sanitized and self-aggrandizing nature of the musical ...

r/RATS (place) 1 — A Reddit community for rat owners that showcases problematic pet behavior and obsessive commentary about rat anatomy.

You're So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (film) 1 — A Netflix film featuring Jewish culture that a pro-Israel mother forces her family to watch to appreciate Jewish media a...

Connor Stalions (person) 1 — A Michigan football staffer with a 600-page document called the Michigan Manifesto who conducted an elaborate sign-steal...

Michigan Manifesto (book) 1 — A 600-page document created by Connor Stalions outlining his plan to become head coach of Michigan and lead them to glor...

Master Chief (person) 1 — A video game character from Halo whose crude drawings are found in teenage boys' rooms that still look childish.

Van Cleef (concept) 1 — Luxury jewelry brand mentioned as a marker of wealth and class difference among college students.

r/theydidthemath (place) 1 — Reddit subreddit criticized for declining intellectual quality, with posts becoming simpler arithmetic rather than compl...

Machiavellian (concept) 1 — Describes scheming, manipulative behavior, discussed humorously when exhibited by unintelligent people who reveal their ...

West Side Story (film) 1 — Musical film adapted by Steven Spielberg that exemplifies why some users cannot stand musicals

Rent (film) 1 — Musical worshiped by annoying dorm kids that contributed to a user's dislike of musicals

r/asexuality (place) 1 — Reddit community that helped a user misdiagnose his sexuality when he was actually just attracted to big breasts

Minions Rise of Gru (film) 1 — Children's animated film positively contrasted with pretentious art films as something to look forward to.

MCR (album) 1 — Band (My Chemical Romance) whose concert had an unusually high number of young attendees using canes, noted as a curious...

Bama Rush (film) 1 — Documentary about sorority rush at University of Alabama, criticized for the director inserting herself and discussing h...

Bonanno crime family (concept) 1 — Real Italian-American organized crime family that viewers research after watching The Godfather.

In a Silent Way (album) 1 — Jazz album by Miles Davis marking the beginning of what some consider his greatest artistic period.

Agharta (album) 1 — Live jazz album by Miles Davis representing the pinnacle of his 1970s electric period.

Pangaea (album) 1 — Live jazz album by Miles Davis recorded alongside Agharta, marking the pinnacle of his electric jazz period.

Scrooged (film) 1 — Underrated Christmas movie featuring a cameo by Miles Davis.

Sheikh Hasina (person) 1 — Prime Minister of Bangladesh who justified violent crackdowns on student protesters in 2024.

Awami League (concept) 1 — Political party in Bangladesh led by Sheikh Hasina that justified violent suppression of student protests.

Fan theories (concept) 1 — Cultural phenomenon criticized for exemplifying modern art criticism's problems including literalism, desire to solve ra...

Hannah Montana movie (film) 1 — A Disney film referenced as an example of mainstream movies that some people performatively claim as favorites on film r...

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (film) 1 — A Western film praised for its scale, casting, score, and entertainment value that remains enthralling across its three-...

Brisbane (place) 1 — An Australian city discussed in relation to rapid demographic changes and immigration experiences by a resident working ...

Sky News (place) 1 — Australian conservative news network described as Australia's equivalent of Fox News, watched by those who feel their co...

Kramer vs. Kramer (film) 1 — A 1970s adult drama that made $700 million adjusted for inflation, used as an example of how mainstream films used to be...

Searchlight (place) 1 — A film studio referenced as producing smaller, limited-release films that would have been mainstream in previous decades...

Nokia 3510i (concept) 1 — A brick phone model referenced as an example of older technology that people developed emotional attachments to, unlike ...

r/redscarepod (place) 1 — The main Red Scare podcast subreddit discussed in relation to its growth to 100,000 members and debates about staying pu...

Cake Boss (film) 1 — TV show associated with Netflix viewers who have no passions or interests.

SUNY Potsdam (place) 1 — University referenced sarcastically when questioning whether keeping up with old friends on social media is worth it.