Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Tracy Chapman (person) 3 — Artist whose song 'Fast Car' was covered by Luke Combs, sparking discourse claiming she was unfairly barred from country...

Abu Ghraib (place) 3 — An Iraqi prison where torture and abuse by American soldiers occurred, described as 'soul-crushing' and carried out by p...

Christopher Moltisanti (person) 3 — Character from The Sopranos praised as a well-written loser protagonist who is an average guy not cut out for mob life b...

WEF (place) 3 — World Economic Forum described as part of a predicted alliance with IMF and World Bank that will explicitly exert power ...

The Lord of the Rings (film) 3 — J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy trilogy that instilled wanderlust in the poster, particularly during a road trip to the Ro...

Apichatpong Weerasethakul (person) 3 — Director whose deliberate pacing style is compared to Sion Sono's approach in The Whispering Star

Aphrodite (concept) 3 — Greek goddess referenced in discussions of body type preferences and historical beauty standards

The Dark Knight (film) 3 — Batman film identified as ground zero for the gritty, washed-out aesthetic trend in media from 2006-2013

Heated Rivalry (book) 3 — Popular hockey romance novel that has brought unexpected mainstream cultural attention to NHL hockey.

Barenaked Ladies (person) 3 — A band referenced in a humorous post about autism genetics, with the poster's father having seen them live nearly a doze...

Nina Simone (person) 3 — Musician mentioned as a bonding point between the poster and a woman who turned out to be recruiting for SGI

Rae Klein (person) 3 — Contemporary painter known for winged ethereal creatures and dogs, cited as influence.

Ramadan (concept) 3 — Islamic holy month during which Gulf Arab women wear traditional dresses called Jalabyas or Mkhaweer, discussed in conte...

Hamnet (film) 3 — A theatrical production criticized for its corny approach to depicting Shakespeare's creative process, particularly show...

Dolores O'Riordan (person) 3 — Referenced for her complexion, contrasted with someone who mispronounces "ukulele."

David Hume (person) 3 — Philosopher referenced as someone whose world-changing thoughts occurred during a billiard game, contrasted with the bla...

The Battle of Algiers (film) 3 — Classic action docudrama about Algeria's resistance against French colonialism, studied by the Black Panthers, IRA, and ...

Disco Elysium (film) 3 — Video game whose creators were screwed out of IP rights by their publisher, spawning multiple successor factions

A Charlie Brown Christmas (film) 3 — Classic Christmas television special lamented as no longer accessible on broadcast TV, now exclusive to Apple TV.

Frank Herbert (person) 3 — Science fiction author obsessed with Arabia, Islam, great man theory, and the interplay between human civilization and e...

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (person) 3 — German author of The Sorrows of Young Werther, recommended reading for incels as exploration of the lonely male and unre...

Safe (film) 3 — Film featuring Julianne Moore, referenced in the context of feeling helpless and trapped in a cycle of medical referrals...

Culture Industry (concept) 3 — Critical theory concept referenced in discussion of modern pop culture's degeneration through sequels, reboots, streamin...

WeGovy (concept) 3 — Weight loss medication referenced in discussion of obesity's impact on pop music culture.

Donna Haraway (person) 3 — Scholar whose work was cited by Pope Francis in papal encyclicals, noted for her influence on both academic theory and C...

Caspar David Friedrich (person) 3 — Landscape painter whose work "Klosterruine Eldena und Riesengebirge" is featured in a collection of nice landscape paint...

Tabula Rasa (concept) 3 — Philosophical concept of the blank slate, wrongly assumed by both conservatives and liberals in debates about college's ...

Hoteps (concept) 3 — An afrocentric movement that popularized calling people kings and queens based on belief in the regality of melanin and ...

r/amiugly (place) 3 — Reddit community where people post photos asking if they are ugly, reflecting extreme alienation and desperate willingne...

Jill Stein (person) 3 — Green Party presidential candidate who received more votes than the libertarian candidate in a recent election, illustra...

Derek Chauvin (person) 3 — Police officer convicted in George Floyd case whose trial verdict was broadcast with family reactions by news media

Shelley Duvall (person) 3 — Actress referenced in connection with The Shining as discovering Jack Nicholson's repetitive typewriter manuscript.

Lil Peep (person) 3 — Rapper whose death made national news and whose baby face and innocent appearance made him relatable to Boomer parents.

NYU Tisch (place) 3 — New York University's prestigious arts school mentioned as the educational background of an actress.

Death of the Author (concept) 3 — Critical theory concept, originally considered radical and progressive for advocating that an artist's personal life sho...

Tim Burton (person) 3 — Film director who included racist material from the Willy Wonka book in his 2005 adaptation that had been removed from t...

Letters from a Stoic (book) 3 — Seneca's philosophical letters described as containing potentially life-changing wisdom about purpose, courage, and nece...

Ford (place) 3 — An automobile company mentioned as potentially suppressing investigation of the psychological and addictive effects of d...

Aaron Rodgers (person) 3 — NFL quarterback whose Achilles injury was celebrated by Reddit users because he didn't get vaccinated, despite being one...

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (film) 3 — A film compared to Scorsese's new work for having a strong love story element.

Golden Gate Bridge (place) 3 — Famous bridge referenced as example of impressive infrastructure modern billionaires could build but don't.

Conner O'Malley (person) 3 — Described as the most important mind of a generation for social and economic critique through comedy.

Voting Rights Act (concept) 3 — Landmark 1965 U.S. federal legislation prohibiting racial discrimination in voting, referenced to emphasize the recency ...

John Adams (person) 3 — Second U.S. President whose exclusion from Hamilton musical is criticized as historically inaccurate

Christ (person) 3 — Religious figure to whom Lincoln is compared by Tolstoy as a Christ in miniature and as representing supreme achievement...

Lawrence of Arabia (film) 3 — Epic 1962 film about T.E. Lawrence praised for its score and orientalist aesthetics, viewed in poor theater conditions.

The Sorrows of Young Werther (book) 3 — Novel by Goethe about the tragedy of the lonely male with unrequited love that became so popular it sparked a frenzy amo...

Edmund Husserl (person) 3 — Phenomenological philosopher invoked in a satirical weight loss scheme based on how losing weight makes the world appear...

Phenomenology (concept) 3 — Philosophical approach to perception cited in satirical argument that losing weight makes the world appear proportionall...

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) (concept) 3 — Therapeutic approach criticized by a poster as potentially being 'psychological gaslighting' for some patients strugglin...