Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

EmRata (person) 3 — Model Emily Ratajkowski whose boyfriend's infidelity is cited as evidence that even extreme physical beauty cannot satis...

Godzilla (film) 3 — A monster film franchise referenced when contemplating casualties and destruction, compared to a cat knocking down stack...

UPS (place) 3 — Delivery company referenced as maintaining traditional uniform and professional standards from an earlier era.

Rubber Soul (album) 3 — Beatles album from December 1965 that featured bubbly psychedelic typeface design

G.K. Chesterton (person) 3 — Writer whose correctness is invoked after a corporate workshop about imagining a non-binary child resulted in the facili...

Socrates (person) 3 — Ancient philosopher mentioned alongside Plato in mockery of BookTok readers treating romance novel dialogue as philosoph...

Salvador Dalí (person) 3 — Spanish surrealist artist whose work Flight of a Bee (Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second ...

Darfur (place) 3 — A region in Sudan that was the site of a humanitarian crisis in the early 2000s that sparked political awareness and act...

Bali (place) 3 — A well-known location that is part of Indonesia, used as an example of how familiar places are disconnected from their n...

Cannes Film Festival (place) 3 — Prestigious film festival criticized for making attendees stand and clap for five minutes for mediocre films

Lil Tay (person) 3 — Child influencer discussed as an example of extreme exploitation through content creation, being 'pimped out' for clicks...

Outlook (concept) 3 — Microsoft email software mentioned as representing workplace responsibilities being shirked while browsing Reddit.

VMAs (concept) 3 — MTV Video Music Awards referenced in comparison to Elon Musk stealing attention at Trump's inauguration like Kanye West ...

Jack London (person) 3 — American author whose writing on male celibacy and brutishness is applied to contemporary incel culture.

Dark Academia (concept) 3 — An aesthetic movement discussed as an example of consciously manufactured moods that are detached from context, history ...

Rory Gilmore (person) 3 — Fictional character from Gilmore Girls whose aesthetic is cited as returning to fashion alongside Bella Swan.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (film) 3 — A film referenced to describe the author's youthful friendship dynamic with his deceased friend

TJ Maxx (place) 3 — American department store chain where a poster and his friend work, site of workplace friendship tensions

r/BoomersBeingFools (place) 3 — A subreddit criticized for sharing staged rage bait and posts about cutting family ties over political discussions

Prince William (person) 3 — British royal criticized for aging badly at 40, but described as looking exactly like a typical bald 40-year-old man

Dragon Ball Z (album) 3 — Japanese anime series that served as the sole basis of a relationship between the author and an autistic student who was...

Jonathan Van Ness (person) 3 — Queer Eye grooming expert noted as the only one with empathy but also extremely annoying and accused of sexually harassi...

Antony Beevor (person) 3 — Historian and author of a book about the fall of Berlin depicting extreme violence, rape, and atrocities during the Sovi...

IHOP (place) 3 — Restaurant chain location where the poet studied biology at 2:45 AM, representing the mundane setting of spiritual and i...

Frédéric Chopin (person) 3 — Polish composer invoked as the last person to write a decent piano piece 180 years ago, used to criticize contemporary c...

Hermann Göring (person) 3 — Nazi leader depicted in the Nuremberg movie as enjoying magic tricks and saying 'Abracadabra' before his suicide, used a...

Ketamine (concept) 3 — Recreational drug discussed as part of drug culture normalization, questioning how it became popular among HR profession...

WeChat (concept) 3 — A Chinese 'MegaApp' that integrates numerous services including payments, messaging, restaurant ordering, ride-hailing, ...

MAHA (concept) 3 — Right-wing health movement criticized as peak grifter health nonsense, involving extreme dietary practices like beef liv...

Chili's (place) 3 — Restaurant chain mentioned in context of family complaining about white people on their way there

Donda (album) 3 — Kanye West album discussed for its artistic commentary on cancel culture versus Christian forgiveness, though criticized...

Everglades (place) 3 — South Florida ecosystem historically known as bug capital of the US, now showing dramatic insect decline

Alex Pretti (person) 3 — 37-year-old man who died in Minneapolis during an ICE enforcement mission, described by some as a domestic terrorist in ...

Aime Leon Dore (place) 3 — Fashion brand mentioned as typical contemporary menswear in contrast to peacocking pickup artist style

Kibbutz (place) 3 — Form of alternative communal living mentioned alongside communes, monasteries, and intentional communities.

Stanley cup (concept) 3 — Trendy water bottle brand cited as an example of consumerist trend cycles that contribute to loss of personal style.

Dungeons and Dragons (concept) 3 — Tabletop roleplaying game suggested as social activity for autistic people by therapists who don't understand the actual...

Johnny Knoxville (person) 3 — Stunt performer and entertainer referenced as an example of authentic American risk-taking and rule-breaking.

Looney Tunes (film) 3 — Animated cartoon series referenced in a hypothetical about living in a surreal version of reality with cartoon physics.

Zodiac (book) 3 — Book about the Zodiac Killer included in collection of true crime books carried by a Brazilian shooter.

David Duke (person) 3 — White supremacist and former KKK leader referenced in John Mayer's controversial quote about his dating preferences

Idaho murders (concept) 3 — A high-profile murder case discussed in the context of whether it's possible to commit such a crime and successfully dis...

AOL (place) 3 — Early internet service provider that began making the internet mainstream and accessible in 1993, preceding the iPhone's...

Jenna Ortega (person) 3 — Actress described as a 'Netflix brand' version of Aubrey Plaza, representing a commodified type of woman.

r/AmITheAsshole (place) 3 — Reddit subreddit mentioned in a post about fake stories, where supposedly a boyfriend posted before his girlfriend poste...

Reform UK (concept) 3 — UK political party that Labour is trailing in national opinion polls according to discussion of Andy Burnham's blocked c...

Silver Lake (place) 3 — Los Angeles neighborhood referenced as an aesthetic critique of Netflix's ahistorical casting choices in period dramas.

Mindhunter (film) 3 — Netflix series that was cancelled despite its quality, mentioned alongside other cancelled shows in criticism of Netflix...

Adriana Lima (person) 3 — A supermodel whose daughters are discussed in relation to attractiveness gaps in couples, as they resemble their less at...

Josip Broz Tito (person) 3 — Former Yugoslav leader whose personality cult and post-death fragmentation of Yugoslavia is compared to Putin's current ...