Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Jill Biden (person) 5 — First Lady referenced in a satirical post comparing reverence for her doctorate to lack of respect for Ted Kaczynski's d...

Ibram X. Kendi (person) 5 — Author of 'How to Be an Antiracist,' a book argued to contain anti-woke messages about focusing on policy over people an...

Central Park (place) 5 — New York City park where a group of young women in expensive clothing were overheard complaining about being 'starving a...

Ken Klippenstein (person) 5 — Journalist whose website published leaked messages from Charlie (presumably the Trump assassination attempt suspect).

Pixies (album) 5 — Alternative rock band whose music was rejected by coworkers as being too unfamiliar despite mainstream appeal.

Gollum (person) 5 — A character from Lord of the Rings used as an insult between male coworkers, described as an 'unfuckable, pale, impish f...

Pope Leo XIV (person) 5 — New pope discussed hopefully for his focus on Catholic social teaching and combating consumerism, transhumanism, and usi...

Silent Generation (album) 5 — The generation that came of age during the Great Depression and World War II, characterized as relatively more conservat...

Donna Tartt (person) 5 — Author mentioned as an example of 'highbrow lowbrow' literature that doesn't require intense intellectual engagement but...

Lee Harvey Oswald (person) 5 — Presidential assassin noted as a singular, interesting figure who lived a weird pathetic life, contrasted with more rece...

The Thing (film) 5 — A 1982 John Carpenter horror film praised for possibly the best use of practical effects ever, particularly its alien cr...

Oldboy (film) 5 — Korean film referenced specifically for its flashback bridge scene, watched in the context of a toxic relationship.

Prince Harry (person) 5 — British royal discussed in context of leaked stories that appear designed to make him look cool, including Taliban killi...

Zyn (concept) 5 — Brand of nicotine pouches available in varying strengths, with much stronger versions available in Finland than in the U...

Lyndon B. Johnson (person) 5 — US President whose life is the subject of Robert Caro's biographical series, described as an almost unbelievable figure ...

Delaware (place) 5 — US state that announced the end of its mask mandate in early 2022 as part of coordinated Democratic policy shift

Arby's (place) 5 — Fast food restaurant chain where poster experienced confrontation with yuppie couple about nuclear power discussion.

Paul Dano (person) 5 — Actor praised as the best performer among the 'whimpy whiney loser ugly' typecast group, considered superior to Michael ...

Hauntology (concept) 5 — An aesthetic and philosophical concept discussed as representing dead hopes and dreams rather than inspiration, prevalen...

Candyman (film) 5 — A horror film reboot executive produced by Jordan Peele, criticized as abysmal compared to the original directed by a wh...

Cincinnati (place) 5 — A Midwestern city experiencing dramatic housing price increases, with houses selling for over $700K in previously afford...

Neurodivergent (concept) 5 — Term used to describe people with cognitive differences, frequently misapplied by internet users to diagnose fictional c...

Townes Van Zandt (person) 5 — American country-folk singer-songwriter referenced in a joke post title 'Downs Van Zandt' with mock phonetic lyrics.

Tom Brady (person) 5 — American football player discussed as an example of someone completely committed to their purpose and willing to sacrifi...

SEC (concept) 5 — Securities and Exchange Commission, jokingly referenced as having an enforcement arm that would arrest hedge funds witho...

Criterion Channel (place) 5 — Streaming service offering curated collection of classic and art house films, discussed as a platform for discovering ci...

Fibromyalgia (concept) 5 — Chronic illness discussed as appearing to affect only a very specific type of personality, alongside other conditions li...

Hollister (place) 5 — Clothing store chain visited by the author and friend, described as dark enough to do ketamine in without being noticed ...

Hot Topic (place) 5 — American retail chain associated with alternative fashion and scene/goth subcultures, referenced in discussion of mislab...

Mecca (place) 5 — Islam's holiest city in Saudi Arabia, home to the Kaaba and Masjid Al-Haram mosque, described as offering unique people-...

Kalshi (place) 5 — Online betting/prediction market platform criticized for enabling gambling on phones instead of traditional casino games

BMW (concept) 5 — German car brand mentioned mockingly in context of men who think buying a used 2010 BMW will help them attract much youn...

Homer Simpson (person) 5 — The Simpsons character whose weight of 239lbs at 6' tall is noted as less than most redditors despite being portrayed as...

Brigitte Bardot (person) 5 — French actress whose commentary on physical decline and modern ugliness includes critiques of obesity, poor posture, and...

Prince Philip (person) 5 — Late British royal who was mocked for looking like a corpse at 99, though the post argues this is an unrealistic expecta...

Michael Che (person) 5 — SNL cast member and comedian observed testing material about reclaiming the word 'retarded' and defending Diddy at a DC ...

Angela Merkel (person) 5 — Former German Chancellor mentioned in a bait-and-switch post title about hanging out at a comedy show

American Idiot (album) 5 — Green Day album referenced as an example of protest music during the War on Terror that Israel lacks an equivalent to.

Bhagavad Gita (book) 5 — Hindu scripture referenced alongside Bible and Qur'an as religious texts donated to thrift stores in a poem about faith ...

Yelp (place) 5 — A review platform used for finding highly-rated establishments, satirized for enabling obsessive consumer behavior.

Bryan Johnson (person) 5 — Wealthy entrepreneur spending millions on longevity project including supplements, tests, and medical consultants, compa...

Jimmy Savile (person) 5 — British media personality and serial predator whose crimes are cited as example of morbidly fascinating topics with full...

Albuquerque (place) 5 — A New Mexico city described as a shithole that is perplexingly attracting many liberal transplants from California, Port...

Bjork (person) 5 — Musician whose mainstream radio presence in 1996 represented peak American culture before media consolidation

MTV (place) 5 — Music television network credited with creating music videos, launching artist careers, adult animation, and reality TV ...

Daft Punk (person) 5 — Electronic music duo whose album Discovery is mentioned as the stereotypical listening choice of audiophiles with expens...

Bourbon Street (place) 5 — Famous New Orleans street mentioned as the location where the author encountered threatening youth culture.

Boiler Room (place) 5 — A music venue/platform where Yung Lean reportedly just played Spotify songs from his phone for 40 minutes, with Harmony ...

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (person) 5 — Russian novelist whose female characters are categorized into five archetypes including BPD women, histrionic whores, an...

Tulpa (concept) 5 — A 'friend in your head' created through mental techniques similar to memory palaces, described as safer than Jungian spi...