Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Sedona (place) 1 — An Arizona destination known for hiking and natural rock formations

Monument Valley (place) 1 — A location in Utah known for its distinctive rock formations

Pied Piper (concept) 1 — Legendary figure used as metaphor for Michael Jackson's ability to attract children through his music

Professional Managerial Class (concept) 1 — Middle-to-upper middle class suburban types characterized by specific cultural behaviors including emotional reservation...

Sadiq Khan (person) 1 — British political figure who is simultaneously hated by the poster's father and by people the father also hates

The Needledrop (place) 1 — Music review platform by Anthony Fantano, argued to have more cultural capital than traditional publications like Pitchf...

Kumail Nanjiani (person) 1 — Actor/comedian used as example of how mainstream magazine recognition no longer has cultural capital

Eglin Air Force Base (place) 1 — U.S. military base referenced in connection with mysterious Reddit activity

Brooklyn Dad (person) 1 — Social media personality mentioned as a crossover social media star with unclear Reddit connections

Fawlty Towers (film) 1 — British comedy series referenced for its pattern of overreacting to small problems and underreacting to big disasters

John Cleese (person) 1 — British comedian and actor known for his role in Fawlty Towers where he portrayed mismatched reactions to crises

Skyfall (film) 1 — James Bond film featuring Naomie Harris as a more badass version of Moneypenny

Naomie Harris (person) 1 — Actress who played a well-received version of Moneypenny in James Bond films

Lashana Lynch (person) 1 — Actress who played a controversial 'strong black woman girlboss character' in a recent James Bond film

Against All Odds (album) 1 — Tupac song where he directly called out major gangsters in New York and threatened war.

Mumsnet (place) 1 — British online parenting forum cited as an example of toxic women's online spaces.

Longlegs (film) 1 — Horror film featuring Nicolas Cage that disappointed the poster despite being fine.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (film) 1 — Yorgos Lanthimos film considered his peak by a pretentious filmgoer in the theater.

Rita Crundwell (person) 1 — Former comptroller of Dixon, Illinois who perpetrated the largest municipal fraud in US history by embezzling $53 millio...

Dixon (place) 1 — Illinois city that was the site of the largest municipal fraud in US history perpetrated by Rita Crundwell.

OG Maco (person) 1 — Rapper who committed suicide as part of a series of violent incidents in late 2024 and early 2025.

UNRWA (concept) 1 — UN agency for Palestinian refugees referenced in context of liberal American political discourse

Portra 400 (concept) 1 — Film stock used for photography experiments with double exposures

Coq au Vin (concept) 1 — French dish made using an NYT recipe as part of a French cooking weekend

Star (person) 1 — Woman who began a relationship with Charles Manson at 16, later allegedly moved in with Vincent Gallo

Chris Hemsworth (person) 1 — Actor whose modern muscular physique represents an unattainable body type for those claiming to want to return to tradit...

LA 92 (film) 1 — Documentary about the 1992 LA riots that contrasts authentic riot participation with modern performative activism record...

Azov battalion (concept) 1 — Ukrainian military unit referenced as the ultimate test of commitment for online critics advocating intervention in the ...

Good Kid M.A.A.d City (album) 1 — 2012 Kendrick Lamar album that won Pitchfork's Album of the Year

Run The Jewels 2 (album) 1 — 2014 album by Run The Jewels that won Pitchfork's Album of the Year

Solange (person) 1 — Artist whose album A Seat At The Table won Pitchfork's 2016 Album of the Year

A Seat At The Table (album) 1 — 2016 Solange album that won Pitchfork's Album of the Year

Damn (album) 1 — 2017 Kendrick Lamar album that won Pitchfork's Album of the Year

Be The Cowboy (album) 1 — 2018 Mitski album that won Pitchfork's Album of the Year

Fetch the Boltcutters (album) 1 — 2020 Fiona Apple album that won Pitchfork's Album of the Year

CTMirror (place) 1 — Connecticut news outlet that published an article about high school students who cannot read in 2024.

OneTaste (concept) 1 — Sex cult organization focused on orgasmic meditation that is being prosecuted for prostitution, sex trafficking, and lab...

Nicole Daedone (person) 1 — Founder of OneTaste sex cult, described as a 'sex diva,' 'master manipulator,' and 'gourmet sex' connoisseur being prose...

Rachel Cherwitz (person) 1 — Head of sales for OneTaste who is being prosecuted alongside Nicole Daedone for prostitution and sex trafficking.

SoulCycle (place) 1 — Wellness company that OneTaste's attorney compared the organization to in defense against sex cult allegations.

Delay, Deny, Defend (book) 1 — Book about insurance company practices that some claim is being delisted from various online sites.

Abe Books (place) 1 — Online book marketplace where some claim Delay, Deny, Defend has been delisted.

Bromley (place) 1 — London suburb referenced as example of distant location requiring long commute to city center.

r/NEET (place) 1 — A subreddit browsed by users interested in people who are not in education, employment, or training, discussed in contex...

The Seventh Continent (film) 1 — A 1966 Yugoslavian children's film by Dušan Vukotić where children discover and populate a new continent without adults.

Dušan Vukotić (person) 1 — Academy Award-winning Yugoslav director who made The Seventh Continent and won Best Animated Short Subject in 1961.

Tenkôsei: Sayonara anata (film) 1 — A body-swap film by Nobuhiko Ōbayashi, a remake of his 1981 film Exchange Students that explores the source material in ...

Nobuhiko Ōbayashi (person) 1 — Japanese filmmaker known for Hausu who made the body-swap film Tenkôsei as a remake of his earlier work.

Windy City Heat (film) 1 — A comedy film featuring an elaborate prank where comedians convince their friend he's been cast in a big budget movie an...

Bobcat Goldthwait (person) 1 — Comedian and director who directed Windy City Heat, a prank film involving Perry Caravello.