Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

MDE (film) 5 — Comedy group Million Dollar Extreme co-founded by Sam Hyde, mentioned as not particularly funny despite Hyde's compellin...

Herman Melville (person) 5 — American author of Moby Dick who wrote about the eternal youth of the world and the inexhaustibility of human expression...

Mark Twain (person) 5 — American author and humorist, referenced as physical comparison for an elderly white-haired cashier with a bushy mustach...

Northern Ireland (place) 5 — Region referenced in context of a Reuters article about Catholics outnumbering Protestants for the first time in census ...

Willem Dafoe (person) 5 — Actor discussed for his unconventional portrayal of Jesus as a sleazy car salesman who performs miracles in what appears...

Norman Mailer (person) 5 — American writer who in The Armies of the Night (1968) analyzed the spiritual alienation of the urban middle class and th...

A Series of Unfortunate Events (book) 5 — A children's book series mentioned alongside Skulduggery Pleasant as examples of simplistic books that former 'gifted ki...

Kiwifarms (place) 5 — Online forum community that uses investigative abilities to infiltrate and expose networks involved in monkey torture co...

John Kerry (person) 5 — Presidential candidate represented as Ambien in opposition to George W. Bush's cocaine in a drug-politics framework.

Henry Miller (person) 5 — American writer invoked as a symbol of freedom and liberation from delusion about beauty standards and social media.

DSM-5 (concept) 5 — The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, criticized in discussions about the validity a...

San Antonio (place) 5 — Texas city where a pit bull attack killed a one-year-old baby being watched by a 13-year-old babysitter.

Linkin Park (album) 5 — Early 2000s rap-metal band discussed as having avoided the cringe stigma associated with their genre and era, with music...

MLK (person) 5 — Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader whose assassination is argued to be America's most successful domestic psyop...

7th Heaven (film) 5 — Television sitcom referenced as an example of the naive, idealized reality where authority figures easily solve problems...

Roland Barthes (person) 5 — French literary theorist referenced in context of separating the art from the artist and the 'death of the author' conce...

Freud (person) 5 — Sigmund Freud, foundational figure in psychology, referenced as basic knowledge that a Psychology PhD candidate surprisi...

Jesse Plemons (person) 5 — Actor discussed as being typecast in modern Hollywood as a stand-in for the working class, playing disheveled manual lab...

Vultures (album) 5 — Kanye West album that received negative reviews but benefited from critics focusing on his antisemitism rather than the ...

MSSOM (person) 5 — Reddit user known for Dasha posting, running a book club, and whose account drama and deletion was mourned by community ...

The Virgin Suicides (film) 5 — A Sofia Coppola film praised as an exception to typical teen movies, accurately capturing the awkward conservatism of a ...

Tate McRae (person) 5 — A celebrity who hooked up with someone's friend, leading him to become obsessed and spend three hours daily at the gym t...

Christopher Columbus (person) 5 — Historical explorer invoked in a conspiracy theory about white people enslaving black people beginning in the 1400s.

Spotify Wrapped (concept) 5 — Annual Spotify feature summarizing users' listening habits that one user accidentally skewed by playing one song for thr...

The Odyssey (book) 5 — Homer's epic poem referenced as a metaphor for contemporary cultural disorientation and the search for home in a destabi...

Ted Bundy (book) 5 — Serial killer mentioned as an exception to the principle against taking pleasure in others' suffering.

Tony Hinchcliffe (person) 5 — A comedian and host of Kill Tony podcast, criticized as completely unfunny despite his popularity, with his comedy descr...

Bon Iver (person) 5 — Indie folk musician whose influence on contemporary music is characterized as having negative consequences for musical d...

Leon Trotsky (person) 5 — Revolutionary leader who was assassinated with an ice pick, subject of childhood misunderstanding about the weapon.

Princess Diana (person) 5 — Late British royal referenced as a glamorous figure with a tragic life, used as comparison point for Rama Duwaji.

Sarah Jessica Parker (person) 5 — Actress from Sex and the City who was the subject of media criticism about her appearance in the 2000s, but is now being...

Malaysia (place) 5 — Southeast Asian country where a poster's uncle died unexpectedly in his sleep during a family vacation following trips t...

Seth Rogen (person) 5 — Actor and comedian defended as overhated despite having said cringe things, with Superbad and Pineapple Express cited as...

Cottagecore (concept) 5 — Aesthetic and lifestyle trend embraced by zoomers as daydream about fulfillment through self-sustaining work, contrasted...

Jim Carrey (person) 5 — Actor mentioned in comparison to the actress from the movie Smile (2022), suggesting a physical resemblance combined wit...

Pitbull (person) 5 — Musician described as the "perfect himbo" who radiates positivity and gave an impromptu concert in Kodiak, Alaska after ...

Wife Swap (film) 5 — Reality TV show featuring families swapping wives, discussed as revealing extreme American family dysfunction and immora...

r/neoliberal (place) 5 — A subreddit where users present an optimistic view of Biden's policies and economic conditions, contrasting with mainstr...

Jake Gyllenhaal (person) 5 — Actor who starred alongside Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain and was noted for appearing so young in the 2005 film whe...

Vibe Shift (concept) 5 — A cultural and political transformation that began after COVID and was cemented with Trump's 2024 victory, marking a shi...

Benson Boone (person) 5 — Contemporary pop musician whose music is played in grocery stores, contrasted unfavorably with traditional Muzak backgro...

Mahmoud Khalil (person) 5 — Individual whose case involving constitutional rights and due process was discussed on Red Scare podcast regarding depor...

Liam Gallagher (person) 5 — Frontman of Oasis known for provocative quotes about other musicians, including insults about Mumford and Sons, Florence...

NASCAR (concept) 5 — American auto racing series described as peak Americana involving watching cars circle tracks for hours while drinking

David Brooks (person) 5 — Writer whose "lookism" op-ed was discussed on the Red Scare episode "Mumford & Cucks" where Dasha made controversial sta...

Imagine Dragons (album) 5 — Band whose song 'Believer' represents mainstream children's taste in contrast to more refined parental preferences

r/politics (place) 5 — Reddit political discussion forum criticized as a feckless, neutered form of resistance where people engage in useless g...

Billy Eichner (person) 5 — A performer or public figure singled out as representing sanitized, corporate gay representation that is now out of favo...

Maryland (place) 5 — State discussed in context of Governor Wes Moore's address on young men's declining labor participation, suicide rates, ...

São Paulo (place) 5 — Largest city in the Americas and fourth-largest in the world, discussed as notably absent from international cultural di...