Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Elizabethan fashion (concept) 1 — Historical fashion era invoked as an example of the grandeur and aesthetic achievement modern elites lack.

The Hamptons (place) 1 — Wealthy Long Island area invoked as emblematic of traditional upper-class aesthetic.

Jonathan Greenblatt (person) 1 — ADL CEO whose statements about TikTok being a problem are referenced in discussion of the platform's ban.

Three 6 Mafia (album) 1 — Memphis rap group whose song 'Mafia Niggaz' was played on loop during a deliberately annoying Tinder date.

Dyson Airwrap (concept) 1 — Expensive hair styling tool that is rejected in favor of embracing natural hair.

Qin Shi Huang (person) 1 — First Emperor of China whose unopened tomb is the subject of speculation about mercury contamination, ethnic identity, a...

Terracotta Army (place) 1 — Archaeological site associated with Qin Shi Huang's tomb, humorously described as potentially cursed.

Fatphobia (concept) 1 — Workplace discrimination concept invoked in an HR complaint about weight-related comments.

Lollapalooza (place) 1 — Music festival cited as a hypothetical location for a billionaire assassination.

Forest Service (place) 1 — Government agency proposed as alternative to military conscription for social rehabilitation.

Non-Euclidean Geometry (concept) 1 — Mathematical concept used as metaphor for a surreal childhood experience where normal spatial rules don't apply

Pythagorean theorem (concept) 1 — Mathematical principle referenced as something taken for granted by those in Euclidean environments

Center for Strategic Politics (place) 1 — Allegedly fake polling organization that released a poll about Luigi Mangione, created days before their first poll

Amalfi Coast (place) 1 — Italian coastal region discussed as an overtouristed destination that has lost its class signaling

Wil Wheaton (person) 1 — Actor known for being overly cautious or sensitive online for years according to subreddit discussion.

NOAA (place) 1 — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency that experienced mass firings affecting meteorologists...

Joplin tornado (concept) 1 — Deadly 2011 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, referenced as an example of why weather forecasting and warning system...

Hurricane Helene (concept) 1 — Recent hurricane referenced alongside Katrina and Joplin as an example of why weather forecasting infrastructure is nece...

Mass Surveillance (concept) 1 — The practice of constant monitoring and recording of individuals, discussed in the context of social media users filming...

Adrienne Lenker (person) 1 — Indie folk musician whose music is associated with gentrified urban boutiques and yuppie culture

Echo Chamber (concept) 1 — Online environments where users are exposed only to information and opinions that conform to their existing beliefs

Kente Cloth (concept) 1 — Traditional African textile worn by Democratic politicians in a criticized symbolic gesture

Olivia Colman (person) 1 — British actress who made comments about feeling "nonbinary" that sparked discussion about regressive gender perspectives...

Goa (place) 1 — Indian coastal state mentioned in a satirical story about ordering food and being mocked.

Sarah Lawrence College (place) 1 — Liberal arts college mentioned in satirical posts about having a degree with honors but accepting poor treatment.

Beauty and the Beast (film) 1 — Disney film referenced in a satirical story about being too ugly to play talking furniture in a community theater produc...

Dancer in the Dark (film) 1 — Lars von Trier film featuring Björk, referenced in a satirical story about dating a legally blind factory worker.

Song Dynasty China (place) 1 — Historical Chinese dynasty referenced satirically to criticize modern meritocracy and competitive pressure in contempora...

Bush years (concept) 1 — Period of George W. Bush presidency referenced to warn younger people about cultural dominance of conservatives

Edward Norton (person) 1 — Actor mentioned in connection with queer interpretations of Fight Club on Letterboxd.

r/9k/ (place) 1 — A 4chan board referenced as the origin of incel memes and slang terminology that later spread to mainstream internet cul...

PKK (concept) 1 — Kurdish political organization that a Syrian refugee was pressured to join before fleeing his village

r/malefashionadvice (place) 1 — Reddit community mocked for giving boring fashion advice that makes men less attractive to women

FitBit (concept) 1 — Fitness tracking device mentioned as emblematic of boring self-improvement attempts that make someone unattractive

Nissan Skyline (concept) 1 — Sports car mentioned as part of the appeal of a 'loser' boyfriend who was nonetheless fun and exciting

M7 MBA (concept) 1 — Reference to top-tier MBA programs, mentioned as career advancement opportunity.

CVS Pharmacy (place) 1 — Pharmacy chain mentioned in discussion of declining service standards.

Adrian Dittmann (person) 1 — Alleged Elon Musk sockpuppet account mentioned in 4chan posting incident.

r/highendescorts (place) 1 — Subreddit about high-end sex work that revealed a user's profession.

Dad bod (concept) 1 — Body type discussed as American psyop to normalize obesity.

KingCobraJFS (person) 1 — Internet personality and lolcow who died from alcohol abuse, described as one of the few non-despicable figures in lolco...

D4vd (person) 1 — Music artist implicated in the death of a missing 13-year-old girl found in his Tesla, who had a song titled after her a...

Big 4 Accounting Firms (place) 1 — Major accounting firms referenced in a discussion about corporate DEI language policing workshops

Stacy (concept) 1 — Incel terminology for an archetypal attractive woman discussed at psychiatric conferences

Forensic Psychiatry (concept) 1 — Medical specialty whose practitioners lectured on incel culture at psychiatric conferences

D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) (concept) 1 — Tabletop role-playing game mentioned as background of a psychiatrist who understood early internet culture

Gore Culture (concept) 1 — Internet subculture involving viewing and sharing violent death videos, discussed in terms of psychological trauma and d...

SQL (concept) 1 — Database query language mentioned in context of ChatGPT providing incorrect technical information

Greedflation (concept) 1 — Economic phenomenon of excessive corporate profit-taking contributing to inflation and making dual-income households nec...

Military-Industrial Complex (concept) 1 — Network of military and defense industry interests criticized for driving US involvement in foreign wars