Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

semaglutide (concept) 1 — Weight loss pharmaceutical drug discussed as a wonder-drug that could eliminate obesity among middle and upper classes

Brother's Keeper (film) 1 — Documentary about the Wards family that inspired The X-Files episode 'Home'

Greenwich, Connecticut (place) 1 — Wealthy Connecticut town where Eastern European immigrant observed rich families sabotaging each other and divorcing

Wake Me Up When September Ends (album) 1 — Green Day song played on ukulele as fulfilling creative outlet

ironic detachment (concept) 1 — Cultural mode of masking feelings with indifference that the author argues should be abandoned for genuine earnestness

Kendall Roy (person) 1 — A character from the TV show Succession, described as a "little loser" who is attractive in a complex way.

Sandra Dee (person) 1 — A classical Hollywood actress mentioned as one of the many people the poster's great uncle was allegedly involved with i...

Romeo Gigli (person) 1 — A fashion designer who mentored a young Alexander McQueen, with a notable story involving a rude message McQueen left in...

American Prospects (book) 1 — Photography book by Joel Sternfeld considered superior to his Experimental Utopias work

Experimental Utopias (book) 1 — Photography work by Joel Sternfeld, considered inferior to American Prospects

Waldorf school (place) 1 — Alternative education system attended by wealthy zoomers at a trustfund party

Ormonde Jayne Woman (concept) 1 — Tasteful perfume noticed at a Halloween trustfund zoomer party

Gaylor (concept) 1 — Female-coded autistic phenomenon involving speculation about Taylor Swift's sexuality

Mythos (concept) 1 — Greek beer brand mentioned as accompaniment to Greek cuisine

Rorschach (person) 1 — A character referenced as an archetype of nihilistic masculinity that police officers identify with.

Rambo (person) 1 — Film character that Christopher Dorner identified with, illustrating how people latch onto character tropes.

George Mallory (person) 1 — Famous mountaineer referenced in discussion of extreme sports and Mount Everest climbing experiences.

Andrew Irvine (person) 1 — Famous mountaineer who climbed Everest with George Mallory, referenced in discussion of extreme sports.

John Jones (person) 1 — A spelunker who died in a cave accident, defended against Reddit criticism by the post author.

Ed Viesturs (person) 1 — Mountaineer and author who wrote about people criticizing extreme sports nearly 20 years ago.

You're Wrong About (album) 1 — A podcast criticized for being unengaging and simply reading Wikipedia pages about historical events.

The Voice (film) 1 — TV singing competition show referenced as promoting an annoying vocal style.

CeCe Peniston (person) 1 — Singer of 'Finally,' referenced as an example of what pop music should sound like again after people lose weight.

L'Étranger (book) 1 — Novel by Albert Camus featuring the character Meursault, referenced in a post about shooting Arabs.

Gary Oldman (person) 1 — Actor cited as an example of someone always obviously better than those around them.

Quiznos (place) 1 — Sandwich chain that declined dramatically from 5000 US stores in 2007 to 176 in 2023.

Home Goods (place) 1 — Home decor retailer mentioned alongside TJ Maxx as source of cheap gifts.

Guardian Australia (place) 1 — Australian newspaper that published a headline comparing Tim Walz to Australia.

Nokia 2760 (concept) 1 — A basic flip phone sold at Walmart for $30 with music player, weather app, GPS, calculator, podcast app and rudimentary ...

Cat S22 (concept) 1 — Android-based flip phone with Spotify functionality and touch screen, rejected by poster as too similar to a smartphone.

Lawnmower Man (film) 1 — Referenced as metaphor for people suddenly becoming smarter or more sophisticated overnight through technology, in conte...

Hardeep Singh Nijjar (person) 1 — Anti-Modi, pro-Khalistan activist killed on Canadian soil, accused of terrorism by India, whose assassination sparked di...

Boston Globe (place) 1 — Newspaper that published Bernie Sanders' op-ed about the election, mentioned as being behind a paywall.

The New Deal (concept) 1 — Historic Democratic policy program from the 1930s-1980s era credited with major social welfare achievements including be...

Warren Court (concept) 1 — Supreme Court era under Chief Justice Earl Warren mentioned as part of the Democratic Party's historic achievements.

Michael Hulse (person) 1 — Author of introduction to Penguin Classics edition of The Sorrows of Young Werther who describes Goethe's personal histo...

Peter Santenello (person) 1 — Video creator who made content featuring a Jewish woman who switched from iPhone to Blackberry to reduce distraction.

Blackwater (place) 1 — Private military company referenced in discussion about the legitimacy of individuals posing as ICE agents in deportatio...

TINA (There Is No Alternative) (concept) 1 — Political slogan referenced as the mindset elder generations use to justify AI and surveillance technology as necessary ...

Christopher Griffith (person) 1 — Fashion photographer who shot the Etro Fall/Winter 1997 campaign

Etro (place) 1 — Italian fashion house whose Fall/Winter 1997 campaign was photographed by Christopher Griffith

Waterman Mountains (place) 1 — Mountain range near Tucson, Arizona, described as gorgeous and wild with bighorn sheep presence and proximity to a small...

Michael Sugrue (person) 1 — American historian and university professor (1957-2024) who taught at Columbia, Princeton, and Ave Maria University, kno...

Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition (book) 1 — 1992 lecture series by Michael Sugrue delivered while teaching at Princeton, later published on YouTube by his daughter ...

Princeton University (place) 1 — University where Michael Sugrue was the Behrman Fellow and taught for over a decade before leaving in 2004.

Johns Hopkins University (place) 1 — University where Michael Sugrue conducted research as a Mellon fellow.

Ave Maria University (place) 1 — University where Michael Sugrue became a professor of history in 2004 after leaving Princeton.

Los Angeles Lakers (concept) 1 — NBA basketball team criticized as incompetently run but consistently rewarded with star players due to their Southern Ca...

Jimmy Butler (person) 1 — NBA player praised as representing 'everything pure' in sports in contrast to the Lakers.

r/leaves (place) 1 — Reddit community for quitting marijuana, referenced as being too soft by someone seeking tougher encouragement