Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

DOGE (concept) 12 — Government initiative referenced in context of federal worker concerns about job security and restructuring.

Wicked (film) 12 — A theatrical production/film described as what happens when theater kids have parents who support their dreams, contrast...

Russell Brand (person) 12 — British comedian and media personality whose flamboyant style was used as an unflattering comparison that prompted self-...

Society of the Spectacle (book) 12 — A philosophical work discussed as something that makes the reader feel smart and pretentious, contrasted with reading Wi...

Korea (place) 12 — East Asian country described in the subreddit as a place characterized by elitism, classism, and rigid beauty standards ...

Jackass (film) 12 — A film and TV franchise featuring stunts and pranks, discussed as potentially deserving inclusion in the Criterion Colle...

Jimmy Fallon (person) 12 — Late night host who replaced Jay Leno and is described as unfunny and unbearable to listen to, marking a cultural turnin...

Ted Lasso (film) 12 — Apple TV+ comedy series whose first season is defended as actually good despite the show being generally hated within th...

Joni Mitchell (person) 12 — Singer-songwriter cited as one of four women a poster repeatedly gets compared to, representing a type of beauty that do...

Slack (concept) 12 — A workplace messaging application that serves as the primary medium of communication for many corporate jobs, characteri...

Uber (place) 12 — Ride-sharing service that includes passenger ratings, contributing to the gamification and metrics-based evaluation of e...

Anne Frank (person) 12 — Holocaust diary assigned in American schools, part of extensive Holocaust education curriculum discussed as potentially ...

LSD (concept) 12 — Psychedelic drug discussed in detail in a confessional narrative about extreme drug use combined with pornography addict...

Ella Emhoff (person) 12 — The stepdaughter of Kamala Harris whose unearned fame and aesthetic choices trigger both envy and impostor syndrome in t...

No Country for Old Men (film) 12 — Film that was in theaters at the same time as There Will Be Blood, described as a more significant cinematic event than ...

Jia Tolentino (person) 12 — Writer who edited her blog post to defend her parents against federal indictment allegations of usury and threats relate...

Incel (concept) 12 — Involuntary celibate community that originated on 4chan and systematically mapped out human insecurities, now influencin...

Belgium (place) 12 — European country discussed as having better labor market pathways and job security for early-career professionals compar...

Hong Kong (place) 12 — Former British colony and current Chinese special administrative region, described as having unique vertical density, fr...

Steven Universe (film) 12 — An animated children's show described as incredibly cringe yet obsessively watched by nonbinary people, possibly functio...

Egypt (place) 12 — Country discussed in relation to debates over modern Egyptian identity, genetics, and the relationship between Arab and ...

Hegel (person) 12 — German philosopher cited by Žižek as being among the first to see the geographical triad of Germany, France, and England...

Orlando (place) 12 — Florida city criticized as uniquely artificial and plastic, built on urban sprawl with little public transit and enterta...

Andrew Callaghan (person) 12 — YouTube journalist and creator of Channel 5 who gained fame filming crowds and conducting street interviews, but critici...

Apple (place) 12 — Technology company discussed in context of its VR headset with eye-tracking algorithms designed to maximize user attenti...

Mel Gibson (person) 12 — Actor and director known for Braveheart who had infamous recorded meltdown tapes that became entertainment material for ...

Pittsburgh (place) 12 — Pennsylvania city that left a negative impression on a visitor, contributing to general negative perception of Pennsylva...

Noam Chomsky (person) 12 — Public intellectual whose interviews from 40 years ago are cited as examples of when public intellectual discourse used ...

NEET (concept) 12 — Acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training," used to describe a particular lifestyle or state of being that ...

30 Rock (film) 12 — NBC comedy series praised for making jokes about race and sex without self-awareness or immediate shame, existing in a p...

Amsterdam (place) 12 — European coastal city mentioned as a desired immigration destination by an American seeking to escape US urban life.

Mississippi (place) 12 — State that despite ranking low in most quality of life metrics became one of the best in the US on homelessness by imple...

Michigan (place) 12 — A U.S. state referenced as an example of traditional union Democratic voter base, contrasted with more alienated working...

Wellbutrin (concept) 12 — An SSRI antidepressant medication referenced in a satirical claim that such drugs keep people docile and would have prev...

Mao Zedong (person) 12 — Chinese communist leader referenced in context of closing borders, erecting firewalls, and removing landlords as increas...

Werner Herzog (person) 12 — Filmmaker criticized as a pretentious pseudointellectual after his dismissive characterization of chickens as stupid was...

Marvin Gaye (person) 12 — Soul singer who was shot and killed by his own father in 1984, with final words suggesting he orchestrated his own death

Finland (place) 12 — Nordic country that had a tradition where marriageable girls wore empty sheaths for potential suitors to fill with knive...

Columbia University (place) 12 — University where a peaceful student encampment protesting Israel-Palestine was held, which the poster describes as incre...

Oregon (place) 12 — A U.S. state mentioned as a hiking destination in a fantasy scenario about traveling with a terminally ill girlfriend.

Lou Reed (person) 12 — A musician referenced as a cultural icon whose aesthetic of leather jackets, experimental guitar, and relationships with...

The Weeknd (person) 12 — Mainstream rapper and R&B artist who was a dominant figure in 2016 and remained a top figure through 2025 despite being ...

Selena Gomez (person) 12 — A celebrity criticized extensively for allegedly being untalented, obsessed with Justin Bieber, manipulative, and hypocr...

Berkeley (place) 12 — California city discussed as an example of gentrification, where unique cultural spaces like record stores and music ven...

Office Space (film) 12 — 1999 satirical film about corporate office culture, referenced as a model for what a contemporary version about current ...

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (person) 12 — German philosopher referenced as an example of difficult reading that functionally illiterate redditors claim to have un...

Postmodernism (concept) 12 — Philosophical movement mentioned as part of intellectual credentials that helped establish rapport on a date, specifical...

F. Scott Fitzgerald (person) 12 — American novelist whose romantic pursuit of Zelda (the Zussy) is invoked as inspiration for the male urge to write the g...

Swans (album) 12 — Band whose song "Stay Here" is described as a terrible karaoke choice due to its aggressive vocals that work poorly whet...

Shakespeare (person) 12 — William Shakespeare, canonical playwright and poet, noted as absent from California's new reading list