Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Virginia Roberts (person) 1 — Epstein accuser whose depositions were included in newly leaked court documents related to the Maxwell trial.

Nina West (person) 1 — Drag performer cited as an example of gay people who perform 'corporate kid-friendly homosexuality' for straight audienc...

Audi (place) 1 — Luxury car brand mentioned as evidence of massage parlor workers' financial success

The North Water (film) 1 — A television series about a disgraced ex-army surgeon on a whaling expedition to the Arctic who encounters a murderous h...

Jack O'Connell (person) 1 — Actor who stars in The North Water alongside Colin Farrell and Stephen Graham.

Bret Michaels (person) 1 — Reality TV star who discussed his diabetes on the season finale of Rock of Love.

Canal Plus (concept) 1 — French television channel that saved David Lynch's Mulholland Drive by producing it as a feature film after ABC cancelle...

Christabel (book) 1 — A poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge selected as the first reading for the Mary Shelley reading list book club

Sierra Leone (place) 1 — West African country where Salma Hayek toured after the war and breastfed a baby in a hospital in 2009

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (book) 1 — Self-help book recommended alongside Jordan Peterson's work to help with mental clarity

Tangled up in Blue (album) 1 — A Bob Dylan song cited as a current favorite by a poster soliciting opinions on his work.

Boots of Spanish Leather (album) 1 — A Bob Dylan song cited as a current favorite alongside "Tangled up in Blue."

Ode an die Freude (album) 1 — Beethoven's Ode to Joy, referenced in the context of someone practicing German pronunciation.

Porcupine Dilemma (concept) 1 — Schopenhauer's parable about how humans seek closeness for warmth but are driven apart by each other's negative qualitie...

The Souls of Black Folk (book) 1 — W. E. B. DuBois's seminal work on race and African American experience, listed as a top nonfiction book.

Skulduggery Pleasant (book) 1 — A children's book series mentioned as an example of books that 'gifted kids' would read quickly without realizing they w...

The Uninhabitable Earth (book) 1 — A book by David Wallace-Wells about climate change that discusses how southern Europe will turn into a desert, read back...

David Wallace-Wells (person) 1 — Author of The Uninhabitable Earth, a book about climate change impacts including the desertification of southern Europe.

FIDE (place) 1 — The international chess federation criticized for being involved in social media drama and dress code controversies at m...

Hikaru (person) 1 — Chess player and content creator mentioned for crying at the Candidates tournament when FIDE wouldn't let him play in a ...

ALS (concept) 1 — Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a horrific degenerative disease diagnosed in a poster's boyfriend's mother, affecting her...

Razib Khan (person) 1 — Guest on Red Scare podcast who, along with Anna, was unable to multiply basic fractions during the episode.

Madelaine McCann (person) 1 — Missing child whose disappearance is the subject of a Reddit community characterized by conspiracy theories about her pa...

Klara and the Sun (book) 1 — Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro that starts tediously but features a horrifying twist two-thirds through that redeems the book.

Leonardo Da Vinci: The First Scientist (book) 1 — Biography by Michael White containing interesting details about Da Vinci's life but criticized for excessive speculation...

Michael White (person) 1 — Author of Leonardo Da Vinci: The First Scientist, criticized for excessive speculation about his subject's mindset.

Eli Friedland (person) 1 — Figure mentioned alongside Anna and Dasha as supporting Woody Allen despite allegations.

Covent Garden (place) 1 — Area in London where a man was observed screaming into a megaphone about being victims of sex and not asking to be born

Moomin (concept) 1 — Finnish cartoon/book series with characters Little My and Snufkin, merchandise available at a dedicated shop in London

Muji (place) 1 — Japanese retail store where the poster experienced joy buying oil cleanser, mechanical pencils and refillable pens

Charing Cross (place) 1 — London train station where a man was observed picking up a cigarette butt from the ground to smoke

GIMP (concept) 1 — Open-source image editing software criticized for having ugly design and awful UX compared to Adobe Photoshop

The Fabelmans (film) 1 — Film that was being watched during a flight from Paris where a medical emergency occurred

Sean Evans (person) 1 — Interviewer criticized for only being able to ask pre-prepared questions with no ability for back-and-forth conversation

Winnetka (place) 1 — Affluent area mentioned as likely source of parental funding for LA writers on strike

Scarsdale (place) 1 — Affluent area mentioned as likely source of parental funding for LA writers on strike

Fran Drescher (person) 1 — Actress whose rapists were discussed on the podcast, with Dasha making a racially charged comment about them

Sturgill Simpson (person) 1 — Contemporary country music artist praised as part of a new generation of master songwriters in the genre.

Tyler Childers (person) 1 — Contemporary country music artist praised as part of a new generation of master songwriters in the genre.

Los Angeles Dodgers (concept) 1 — MLB team that clinched their spot at the top of the National League West division heading toward a triple digit win seas...

Debra Paget (person) 1 — Actress described as a beauty who was the blueprint for Priscilla Presley.

Love Me Tender (film) 1 — Film featuring Elvis Presley and Debra Paget, where photos of them were taken.

Workism (concept) 1 — Ideology referenced as something the poster bought into after college, leading to unfulfilling knowledge-work.

Leninist revolution (concept) 1 — Revolutionary concept referenced as a potential solution to the unfulfilling nature of work under capitalism.

Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (person) 1 — Part-black Frenchman described as the founder of Chicago who arrived in the 1780s.

Tati Westbrook (person) 1 — YouTube personality whose 'bye sister' drama about James Charles is described as someone's involuntary daily thought.

No Hard Feelings (film) 1 — Film starring Jennifer Lawrence described as a sweet movie about connection in the incel age that was never really made ...

Viagra Boys (album) 1 — Musical act cited as a gendered marker of 'alt' culture for men.

South Boston (place) 1 — Neighborhood discussed in context of gentrification displacing working-class families.

Gumby (film) 1 — Vintage cartoon mentioned as part of a technologically old-fashioned upbringing that feels anachronistic.