Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Avengers (film) 2 — Marvel superhero film franchise referenced when a coworker admitted to crying during a scene, leading to permanent negat...

Michelin (concept) 2 — Prestigious restaurant rating system that recently recognized a restaurant in the American South where the poster works.

Falkland Islands (place) 2 — Disputed territory between Argentina and Britain, known as Islas Malvinas in Spanish, that provokes intense nationalist ...

ODD (concept) 2 — Oppositional Defiant Disorder, referenced satirically in mom forums context as something mothers rush to diagnose in the...

FMLA (concept) 2 — Federal law protecting maternity leave that doesn't apply to companies with less than 50 employees, discussed in context...

Richard Russell (person) 2 — Figure referenced in discussion of men who abandoned society to pursue radical freedom, ultimately ending badly.

Texas State University (place) 2 — University formerly known as San Marcos Teachers College where LBJ created his political organization The White Stars

Rural Electrification Act (concept) 2 — New Deal program that LBJ used to bring electricity to his district as a young Congressman

Muslim Brotherhood (concept) 2 — Islamic political organization referenced in context of wealthy Egyptian families with business interests in sub-Saharan...

Jaffa (place) 2 — A mixed-religion city in Israel frequently visited by the author and where some of their mother's students were from

Liver King (person) 2 — Social media personality arrested in Texas for violence after issuing a challenge to Joe Rogan, used as example of Texas...

MLM (concept) 2 — Multi-level marketing schemes that the poster has never been asked to join, contributing to their sense of living in a b...

FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) (concept) 2 — A financial movement focused on extreme saving and investing to retire early, discussed in its 'fat' variant involving l...

Russian Revolution (concept) 2 — Historical event when the working class overthrew their oppressors, discussed as feeling surreal and distant from contem...

Chinese Civil War (concept) 2 — Historical revolutionary conflict discussed alongside the Russian Revolution as a moment when working classes successful...

Snow Patrol (album) 2 — Band cited as example of inoffensive 2000s pop music now replaced by deliberately annoying reggaeton

Kohls (place) 2 — Department store chain described as struggling anchor store in contemporary American malls.

r/meth (place) 2 — Reddit community for methamphetamine users featuring harm reduction content and videos of people using drugs

Dearborn (place) 2 — Michigan city with large Arab population that voted for Trump, leading to liberal backlash against Muslim voters

Arthur Miller (person) 2 — Playwright referenced in connection with the Lucy Letby case as someone who would appreciate the media-driven hysteria r...

Sacco and Vanzetti (person) 2 — Italian-American anarchists and labor leaders who were executed by electric chair, referenced by Colombia's president as...

CICO (concept) 2 — Calories In, Calories Out diet principle demonstrating the difficulty of weight loss through the imbalance between exerc...

Lucy Dacus (person) 2 — Indie musician originally signed to Matador Records who moved to major label Geffen, representing the shift from experim...

Matador Records (place) 2 — Indie record label that historically signed experimental bands but evolved toward signing commercially viable coffee sho...

Geffen (place) 2 — Major record label to which Lucy Dacus moved from indie label Matador, representing the blurring of lines between indie ...

Jerome Powell (person) 2 — Federal Reserve chair who shifted from appeasement to confronting the administration, facing DOJ criminal investigation ...

Federal Reserve (place) 2 — U.S. central banking institution facing criminal investigation by DOJ into renovation spending amid political conflict w...

Greg Abbott (person) 2 — Texas governor referred to with the controversial nickname "Hot Wheels" in discussion about Democratic political tactics...

Brie Larson (person) 2 — Actress praised for her appearance in Scott Pilgrim and her vocal performance on the soundtrack.

Strangers With Candy (film) 2 — Comedy TV show from the early 2000s featuring Amy Sedaris, created by Stephen Colbert and others, known for transgressiv...

Upper East Side (place) 2 — Manhattan neighborhood satirically suggested as the true origin of Hawk Tuah girl in a performance art conspiracy theory...

Avengers: Endgame (film) 2 — Marvel superhero blockbuster cited as a favorite by an untalented film student with mainstream commercial tastes.

O'Hare (place) 2 — Chicago's international airport, representing return to American suburban life after European vacation.

Jeremy Clarkson (person) 2 — British television personality who owns a farm and farm shop in the Cotswolds, described as having such broad appeal tha...

Filth (album) 2 — A Swans album referenced as a particularly harsh choice, contrasted with the more accessible 'song for a warrior with Ka...

NYLON (place) 2 — Magazine that interviewed Dasha Nekrasova about her beauty routine, inspiring readers to seek out beauty product recomme...

1920s Paris (place) 2 — Historical cultural hub representing a golden age of artistic and creative energy alongside other iconic periods like 19...

Resetera (place) 2 — Online forum where normie liberal users post, mentioned in context of an incel cousin's political outlook

Ismail Haniyeh (person) 2 — Political leader of Hamas assassinated in Iran in an event considered significant for regional politics

Naples (place) 2 — Italian city referenced in contrast to American culture, with Neapolitan Italians having mocked Jersey Italians in The S...

Demiurge (concept) 2 — A gnostic concept of a malevolent creator deity, invoked to describe American political dysfunction as spiritual warfare...

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (book) 2 — A YA novel frequently taught in contemporary high school English curricula as an example of culturally responsive litera...

Eve (person) 2 — Biblical figure whose status as Adam's 'helpmate' is discussed as meaning 'beneficial adversary' in Genesis.

Chelsea Handler (person) 2 — Comedian who provided a blurb for a book found in a neighborhood free library that no one wants to read.

Ted Nugent (person) 2 — Musician known for the song 'Cat Scratch Fever,' referenced in connection to a fatal bacterial infection from a cat bite...

North Africa (place) 2 — Region mentioned as a theater of World War II where British forces were struggling against Germany.

Alexa (concept) 2 — Amazon's voice-activated assistant device, criticized as dystopian and associated with Marvel fans in American household...

Hbomberguy (person) 2 — YouTube content creator known for long-form video essays and "epic takedown videos" criticized for theatrical presentati...

Shanann Watts (person) 2 — Pregnant woman murdered in 2018 along with her two daughters by her husband, subject of a bullying subreddit criticized ...

Michael Wolff (person) 2 — Author who repeatedly ran passages by Epstein while writing Fire and Fury, according to Epstein's emails.