Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Everything, Everywhere All At Once (film) 1 — Film described as the favorite movie of someone who tries too hard to be quirky and entertaining in every conversation.

Baby it's cold outside (album) 1 — Song criticized for having both an objectionable original version and a worse updated version with lyrics about consent.

Kevyn Aucoin (person) 1 — Makeup artist who created transformative celebrity portraits recreating iconic Hollywood looks.

Penis envy (concept) 1 — Freudian concept discussed by a user recalling having experienced it as a child and questioning its normality.

Gilgamesh (book) 1 — Ancient Mesopotamian epic poem mentioned as part of the region's literary tradition.

Bonnie Parker (person) 1 — Historical figure whose look was recreated on Gwyneth Paltrow by makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin.

Contemporary Christian Music (concept) 1 — Music genre criticized by a former evangelical as empty of creativity and progression, describing it as worse than any m...

PowerBook G3 (concept) 1 — An outdated Apple laptop model referenced nostalgically in discussion of how the early internet required more technical ...

Deinstitutionalization (concept) 1 — Policy of closing state mental health facilities discussed as needing reversal to properly care for mentally ill people ...

Plenary Indulgence (concept) 1 — Catholic theological concept of complete remission of sins offered to crusaders as spiritual reward for fighting.

National WWII Museum (place) 1 — Museum in New Orleans where a visitor had a pleasant interaction with a 95+ year old World War II veteran.

Marshall Tucker Band (album) 1 — A band that the author's father and his friend Scott would listen to during camping trips in the author's childhood.

Rings of Power (film) 1 — Amazon's Lord of the Rings series criticized for having a budget of $465 million for season 1 while looking like a stude...

Creflo Dollar (person) 1 — The biggest black televangelist in America who owns multiple Rolls Royces, a multi-million dollar home, and a private je...

MrBallen (person) 1 — A true crime YouTuber who tours theaters telling embellished stories about murders, mysteries, and supernatural happenin...

Masonic theater (place) 1 — An eerie, historic gothic theater in Detroit with chandeliers and faded yellow walls, now hosting YouTubers and content ...

Jeffrey Goldberg (person) 1 — Journalist criticized for being a cheerleader for the Iraq War who now writes dubiously-sourced articles about Trump say...

Glock 17 (concept) 1 — A handgun model owned by the author discussing tactical gun owners who fantasize about self-defense scenarios while clai...

AR-15 (concept) 1 — A rifle model owned by the author discussing tactical gun owners who fantasize about self-defense scenarios.

Julie Andrews (person) 1 — Actress whose performance in The Sound of Music is cited as an example of genuine sensuality in classic cinema.

Christopher Plummer (person) 1 — Actor whose performance in The Sound of Music is cited as an example of genuine sensuality in classic cinema.

Kind of Blue (album) 1 — Miles Davis album cited as one of the repetitively listed favorites on music rating sites, exemplifying homogeneous musi...

Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore (album) 1 — A folk protest song referenced as the template for modern folk songs about current issues that use Reddit comments for l...

Wickford, Rhode Island (place) 1 — An area in Rhode Island that a poster photographed with their Samsung phone and shared with the subreddit

Socratic method (concept) 1 — A method of dialogue and critical thinking that Peter Singer claims his AI chatbot employs to guide users through self-e...

Safiya Nygaard (person) 1 — YouTuber criticized for using exaggerated facial expressions in thumbnails, associated with the 'soyfacing' trend

KSI (person) 1 — YouTuber criticized for using exaggerated facial expressions in thumbnails as part of the 'soyfacing' trend

La Rinconada (place) 1 — A Peruvian mining town at 16,700 feet high where miners work 16 hours without payment for three weeks and then keep what...

Pataz (place) 1 — A Peruvian mining area where 13 people working as private security of an informal mine were tortured and killed by anoth...

Spetsnaz (concept) 1 — Russian special forces discussed for their distinctive aesthetic from the late 80s to early 2000s period

AN-94 (concept) 1 — A Russian assault rifle from the late 80s-early 2000s period praised as one of the cooler pieces of engineering

Ray Ban Meta AI Glasses (concept) 1 — Smart glasses announced at a technology summit that allegedly can use Generative Fill to erase unhoused people from the ...

Marc Ellis (person) 1 — All Black rugby player and amateur anthropologist who coined the term "Waori" to describe white people who pretend to be...

I, Claudius (film) 1 — BBC series from 1976 with low budget, praised as much better written and acted than HBO's Rome.

Mark Antony (person) 1 — Roman politician whose story in HBO's Rome is reduced to him being an "idiot brute."

Octavian (person) 1 — Roman emperor portrayed in HBO's Rome as going from genius prodigy to gullible moron when he grows up.

Ptolemy XIII (person) 1 — Egyptian pharaoh portrayed in HBO's Rome as "an 8 year old fat regard" instead of a 14 year old.

Avon Barksdale (person) 1 — Character from The Wire used as comparison to show that HBO's Rome gives Caesar less depth in an entire season than this...

Pokémon Sword (film) 1 — Video game used by a student to distract themselves during online political philosophy class.

YTMND (place) 1 — Early internet website platform for creating user-generated content pages, referenced nostalgically from 2006.

Dreyfus Affair (concept) 1 — Historical political scandal compared to GamerGate as a polarizing cultural moment that went mainstream.

Omar Bin Laden (person) 1 — Son of Osama Bin Laden described as a Versace-wearing 'failson' in a Rolling Stone profile

Insomniac with Dave Attell (film) 1 — Television show from 2001-2004 that documented late night America, discussed as capturing the last time America was fun ...

Tabasco (concept) 1 — Hot sauce brand referenced as being considered too spicy by certain New England demographics

Cholula (concept) 1 — Hot sauce brand mentioned as a desired condiment option for Dunkin sandwiches

Bish Bosch (album) 1 — Experimental album by Scott Walker recommended as essential listening

Pola X (film) 1 — Film scored by Scott Walker, recommended alongside his album Bish Bosch

Arrival (film) 1 — Film by Denis Villeneuve mentioned as not generating as much discourse as Dune

Minamoto Yorimasa (person) 1 — Historical Japanese figure whose death poem is quoted, comparing his life to a rotten log that never flowered

Los Padres (place) 1 — Wilderness area where a camper experienced unexplained paranormal noises including knocking and voice-like sounds.