Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Moby (person) 4 — Musician who claimed to have dated Natalie Portman, later exposed by her as having been a creepy older man pursuing an u...

Cruising (film) 4 — A film that nearly won the subreddit movie club poll, receiving 24 votes versus My Own Private Idaho's 25.

Chappelle's Show (film) 4 — A comedy television show from the early 2000s that featured Dave Chappelle at his comedic peak.

Andy Kaufman (person) 4 — A comedian referenced in comparison to someone potentially performing an elaborate performance art piece with a blackfac...

Creedence Clearwater Revival (album) 4 — Classic rock band whose music a 25-year-old woman relates to more than contemporary artists, reflecting a spiritual disc...

Lost Highway (film) 4 — A David Lynch film featuring the unsettling 'at your house' scene considered one of Lynch's creepiest moments

Ottoman Empire (concept) 4 — Historical Islamic empire discussed in context of alternate history speculation about how its victory in WWI might have ...

BeReal (concept) 4 — A social media app that sends daily notifications for users to simultaneously take photos, described as dystopian and re...

Napoleon Bonaparte (person) 4 — Historical figure portrayed in Ridley Scott's film, defended as a winner who struck fear into European monarchs despite ...

Marie Antoinette (person) 4 — Historical French queen referenced as an example of a 'niche' Halloween costume

PUA (concept) 4 — Pick-up artist ideology and talking points that include misogynistic beliefs about women only wanting money and being un...

Johnny Cash (person) 4 — Musician loved by a psychiatric patient who identified with feelings of being stuck in Folsom Prison.

Total Recall (film) 4 — A Paul Verhoeven film described as being about mind-wiping and whether it saves or traps the protagonist.

Santa Fe (place) 4 — A city in New Mexico where the poster is from, described as having a certain degree of liberal Californian/Portland/Seat...

Variety (place) 4 — Entertainment publication that published an article about Olivia Wilde discussing Don't Worry Darling and Harry Styles s...

Jennifer Connelly (person) 4 — American actress cited as an example of a woman who has aged amazingly

Atlas Shrugged (book) 4 — A 500,000-word novel by Ayn Rand about steel foundries that the reader abandoned two-thirds through

Rolling Stones (album) 4 — Music group whose music video prompted a user's consideration of pursuing Sydney Sweeney romantically.

Jonathan Glazer (person) 4 — Filmmaker whose Oscars speech received support from Jewish creatives in an open letter, with only Joel Coen of the Coen ...

Big Bang Theory (film) 4 — Network sitcom about highly intelligent but socially awkward characters, criticized as formulaic 'smart guy' television

Wordle (concept) 4 — A word puzzle game referenced in the context of stalking someone's family on social media to compete with their father

Libertarianism (concept) 4 — A political philosophy emphasizing individual liberty and free markets, discussed as having dramatically declined in rel...

Nardwuar (person) 4 — A media personality famous for his investigative interviewing and sleuthing work, known for uncovering obscure details a...

Rocky Horror Picture Show (film) 4 — A cult film with interactive screenings where audiences dress up, actors perform alongside the movie, and attendees shou...

Rocky (film) 4 — Boxing film referenced when comparing the temp agency woman's role in preparing the author for an interview to Mickey tr...

Inside Llewyn Davis (film) 4 — A Coen Brothers film praised as one of their best works exploring themes of doubt and spirituality

Neil Postman (person) 4 — Media theorist and cultural critic whose speech 'Informing Ourselves to Death' discussed the social implications of comp...

Rwanda (place) 4 — African country referenced in Bobbi Lurie's poem for having genocide that killed people faster than the Holocaust.

The Zone of Interest (film) 4 — Film referenced in a comparison about browsing the redscarepod subreddit while surrounded by the rest of Reddit's annoyi...

Colin Jost (person) 4 — Ivy League educated comedian representing the enviable path of wealthy, educated funny guys

Rachel Maddow (person) 4 — MSNBC host whose reporting is consumed by "Obama boomers" who refuse to believe negative reports about Biden's mental de...

Honolulu (place) 4 — Hawaiian city where tattoo artist Rosie Camanga worked from 1944-1991, tattooing GIs during WWII

Malibu (concept) 4 — A coconut rum brand mentioned as one of the limited rum options at bars, associated with kitschy sweet drinks.

Adrien Brody (person) 4 — Actor criticized online for throwing gum at his girlfriend, which was interpreted by some as abusive behavior despite be...

Naomi Fry (person) 4 — Writer identified as an original friend of the Red Scare podcast whose association marks a shift in the subreddit

Hamlet (book) 4 — Shakespeare play that contains the line 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark' used to describe minor setbacks.

Vatican City (place) 4 — Referenced satirically as a 'protestant Vatican city' in discussion of fears about Trump creating a theocracy.

Fentanyl (concept) 4 — Synthetic opioid discussed as causing more deaths than OxyContin, allegedly as a result of CDC restrictions on prescript...

Eddington (film) 4 — Film by director Ari Aster criticized by audiences for being misinterpreted as a 'both sides are bad' movie when it actu...

The Doors (album) 4 — Iconic rock band that is described as slowly losing relevance with the general public.

American Eagle (place) 4 — A clothing retailer predicted to engage in outrage marketing tactics to gain free advertising from presidential social m...

Naked Gun (film) 4 — Comedy film series referenced as a comparison for an unintentionally funny scene in Blonde where Ana De Armas runs into ...

Intellectual Dark Web (concept) 4 — A network of public intellectuals and podcasters associated with discussing controversial topics outside mainstream disc...

Generation Kill (film) 4 — A miniseries about the Iraq War, described as one of the few notable pieces of media to emerge from 20 years of war in A...

Elizabeth Bruenig (person) 4 — Writer and public figure noted for her boob job, unusual marriage, and neighbors who bought her the house next door to b...

Type O Negative (person) 4 — Band that was one of the last messages sent by a deceased father and listened to together, with specific reference to so...

The Good Place (film) 4 — NBC sitcom criticized as a formulaic show with stock characters espousing Philosophy 101, representing Mike Schur's limo...

Sarasota (place) 4 — Florida city that hadn't been hit by a major hurricane in 100 years, discussed in context of resilience after a storm.

David Duchovny (person) 4 — Actor from The X-Files mentioned as needing protection in a satirical conspiracy theory about Trump killing artistic Dav...

Seneca (person) 4 — Stoic philosopher praised for life-changing wisdom in his Letters, despite associations with 'stoic-bro youtube' culture...