Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Balenciaga (concept) 8 — Fashion house whose collection under Demna was anticipated but compared unfavorably to Robert Wun's couture work.

American Apparel (concept) 8 — Clothing brand known for provocative ads and naturalistic, voyeuristic photography style associated with founder Dov Cha...

Boris Johnson (person) 8 — British politician cited as the closest recent example of a culturally aristocratic head of state who maintains a public...

MENSA (place) 8 — High IQ society discussed as more embarrassing than virginity, representing extreme mental pretension that pushes beyond...

vaporwave (concept) 8 — A retro-aesthetic art style referenced as an example of hauntology where the past represents dead hopes rather than insp...

MKultra (concept) 8 — CIA mind control program that originally inspired Stranger Things before the show moved away from this grounded conspira...

Disneyland (place) 8 — Disney theme park praised as 'compact and sensual' with historical attractions from the 1950s-60s, contrasted favorably ...

Qatar (place) 8 — Gulf state referenced as origin of westernized international students from South Asian and North African backgrounds.

Salt Lake City (place) 8 — Utah city mentioned as one of the places where outdoorsy pseudo-influencers live their regular bugman lives during the w...

Gustav Klimt (person) 8 — Artist who painted 'Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I' (1907), included in a collection of favorite yellow paintings.

Belarus (place) 8 — Eastern European country referenced as the origin of a woman who allegedly controls her husband's social life and financ...

BoJack Horseman (film) 8 — Animated TV show criticized for being harmful to watch due to its depressive main character's complaisance and self-pity...

Adam Driver (person) 8 — American actor who has worked with major directors including Scorsese, Spielberg, the Coens, and many others over the pa...

Philip Seymour Hoffman (person) 8 — Actor praised as the GOAT for his incredible variety in multiple acclaimed films during a 2-year span in the late 1990s.

Allen Ginsberg (person) 8 — Beat Generation poet whose work 'Howl' is extensively quoted in a post about industrial civilization and capitalist mach...

Deftones (person) 8 — Alternative metal band discussed as being superficially appreciated by Zoomers who only listen to a few popular songs ra...

Mariah Carey (person) 8 — Singer referenced as an example of a woman being bought by a rich man and straining against shackles in pursuit of creat...

Vine (concept) 8 — Short-form video platform remembered nostalgically for its genuine whimsy humor, contrasted with modern irony-laden inte...

Joker (film) 8 — Film referenced in a humorous post about a sequel titled 'Joker II: Attack of the Clones' and the character meeting a gi...

Mike Pence (person) 8 — Former US Vice President whose affect is used to describe wealthy Indian-American men as having a 'self-serious, anxious...

Amber (person) 8 — Chapo Trap House podcast host discussed as having disappeared from public presence while allegedly still collecting podc...

Bowen Yang (person) 8 — Actor who plays a character in Fire Island, portrayed as being controlled by Joel Kim Booster's character due to their s...

Chloe Sevigny (person) 8 — Actress who gave a stunning performance in Kids (1995) despite being an inexperienced actress at the time of shooting.

Fleetwood Mac (album) 8 — A rock band cited as an example of great music that was mainstream and accessible without needing to be sought out.

Jennifer Coolidge (person) 8 — Actress in White Lotus whose character offers to finance another character's business dreams unsolicited

Hiroshima (place) 8 — Japanese city used as a reference point for the destructive power of what modern military considers a 'small' nuclear we...

Mike White (person) 8 — Creator of White Lotus who incorporated references to intellectual concepts like memetic desire

Nico (person) 8 — A musician whose son Ari describes her death, his inheritance of royalties, subsequent heroin addiction, and traumatic e...

Master and Commander (film) 8 — Historical naval warfare film discussed in anticipation of a potential Hollywood reboot that would miss the point with C...

Weyes Blood (person) 8 — Musician (Natalie Mering) who performed at Pitchfork with Adam Curtis doing visuals, praised for transcendent vocals and...

Manic Pixie Dream Girl (concept) 8 — Film trope of quirky female characters who change male protagonists' lives, whose decline is theorized to have increased...

John Coltrane (person) 8 — Jazz musician mentioned as someone punks would discuss alongside obscure punk records, representing their wide-ranging c...

Mac Demarco (person) 8 — Canadian musician mentioned alongside Grimes as an artist who left Canada, with questions about who paid their bills and...

Harmony Korine (person) 8 — A filmmaker who was featured as a headliner at a Boiler Room event, which the poster found equally hilarious and regarde...

Lars von Trier (person) 8 — Danish filmmaker discussed as repeatedly siding with humanism over intellectualism in his films, particularly in Nymphom...

SZA (person) 8 — A musician whose new album and lyrics about relationships are discussed as confusing to a listener who cannot relate to ...

Critical Race Theory (concept) 8 — Academic framework that became a political flashpoint, with American liberals defending it despite lacking knowledge aft...

Sam Kriss (person) 8 — Writer and cultural critic who discusses children's literature, YA fiction, and the distinction between myth and psychol...

Luke Turner (person) 8 — Artist and associate of Shia LaBeouf being sued for defamation who has repeatedly attacked Red Scare and other artists

Nathan For You (film) 8 — Comedy television show criticized for its potentially exploitative treatment of participants who don't understand the sh...

Yves Tumor (person) 8 — Musical artist whose work is enjoyed by a poster asking if others are familiar with them.

Kafka (person) 8 — Writer referenced in a diary excerpt about creative dissatisfaction and inability to write from the root.

Liz Cheney (person) 7 — Politician referenced in Trump's comments about warhawks needing to experience combat themselves, which was mischaracter...

Theo Von (person) 7 — Comedian referenced as example of a unique comedic style that has no female equivalent.

Warhammer (concept) 7 — Tabletop miniature wargame mentioned as having cool models to paint but a poor game, with working within an IP described...

Tao Lin (person) 7 — Author referenced in context of affecting the poster's journaling style, making them write in excessive detail.

Kendrick Lamar (person) 7 — Contemporary rapper criticized for not taking a public stance on Gaza, contrasted unfavorably with Muhammad Ali's princi...

CPTSD (concept) 7 — Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, mentioned in context of a domestic violence victim being prevented from seeing h...

POTS (concept) 7 — Medical condition (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) commonly claimed by 'spoonies' on TikTok alongside other c...

H.P. Lovecraft (person) 7 — Horror writer from New England whose dark worldview was shaped by exposure to humanity's darkness in that region.