Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Groyperism (concept) 1 — Political movement led by Nick Fuentes characterized by socially conservative third positionism and appeal to mainstream...

混沌 (concept) 1 — Chinese philosophical concept of primordial chaos from which women derive their anima, invoked humorously in relation to...

Blazing Saddles (film) 1 — Comedy film beloved by white boomer men, referenced as a networking tool for climbing corporate ladders

Norman Conquest (concept) 1 — The 1066 invasion of England by William the Conqueror and the Normans, referenced satirically in relation to colonial la...

Kingdom of Mercia (place) 1 — An Anglo-Saxon kingdom in medieval England, invoked satirically in discussion of applying colonial land acknowledgements...

Flynn effect (concept) 1 — The observation that IQ test scores have increased over time, mentioned skeptically in discussion of rising incompetence...

r/news (place) 1 — A Reddit news subreddit criticized for its users' inconsistent moral positions on rehabilitation and punishment.

Krusty the Clown (person) 1 — Character from The Simpsons that the poster supported as a child but no longer relates to as an adult

Nelson Mandela (person) 1 — South African anti-apartheid leader who died at age 106 according to a post describing his life and legacy

Middle Chinese (concept) 1 — Historical form of Chinese language referenced in discussion of the tonal system adopted from the Nanyue.

Nanyue (concept) 1 — Historical entity credited with introducing the tonal system to Middle Chinese.

Protestant work ethic (concept) 1 — Societal ideology mandating constant productivity, criticized as creating anxiety in unemployed people.

MBTA (place) 1 — Boston public transit system where a dramatic attempted resuscitation of a living junkie occurred on the Red Line.

Bari (place) 1 — Italian city mentioned in context of a driver killing two cyclists at 130km/h in a 70km/h zone.

Leopold Mozart (person) 1 — German composer and father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, referenced satirically as proof that Mozart was a 'nepo baby' wit...

Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (person) 1 — Religious and political figure connected to Leopold Mozart, cited as evidence of Mozart's nepotistic advantages.

Empress Maria Theresa (person) 1 — Habsburg empress mentioned in the context of Mozart being presented at the Imperial Court as a child, illustrating his p...

Kinds of Kindness (film) 1 — Film by Yorgos Lanthimos mentioned in a relationship crisis narrative as the movie watched during a pivotal emotional mo...

Basque (place) 1 — Region in Spain where a college teaches Spanish to learners, the setting for a relationship crisis narrative.

Paul Smith (person) 1 — British fashion designer whose clothing is mentioned by someone preparing for a difficult relationship conversation.

Members of the Rage (concept) 1 — Kid Cudi's clothing line that inadvertently featured controversial 4chan-inspired art by his niece.

watchpeopledie.tv (place) 1 — Gore website whose cat mascot was appropriated by young TikTok artists making 4chan-inspired animations.

Adobe Flash (concept) 1 — Animation software from the 2000s that TikTok artists use to create nostalgic 4chan-inspired content.

Claude AI (concept) 1 — AI chatbot that a father becomes addicted to, naming it after his dead mother and using it for therapy and self-diagnosi...

Port-au-Prince (place) 1 — Capital of Haiti described as being run into a decrepit hellhole by gangsters after imperialistic powers prevented the c...

Freedom Convoy (concept) 1 — Canadian trucker protest against COVID mandates discussed through an encounter with an elderly protester at a hotel

DFA Records (place) 1 — Record label mentioned disparagingly for producing "shitty white-people cosplay disco" in the 2000s indie music scene

Max Hardcore (person) 1 — Notorious 1990s pornographer prosecuted for obscenity, discussed for his pedophilic overtones and influence on modern vi...

Magic Lantern (place) 1 — YouTube channel that produced the documentary series about Max Hardcore and the porn industry

Brett Gelman (person) 1 — Actor criticized for receiving excessive Netflix payment for appearances in Stranger Things

Soulseek (place) 1 — File-sharing service used for downloading music in the 2000s indie music discovery era

Sheol (concept) 1 — Hebrew underworld concept from Judaism, referenced in debate between Catholic and Jewish person

Binding of Isaac (film) 1 — Video game referenced as source of knowledge about Jewish underworld concept Sheol

Fulgencio Batista (person) 1 — Cuban dictator whose regime members were executed by Castro, including date's grandfather

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (film) 1 — A Japanese cyberpunk film described as 'insane' that was watched before a first kiss scenario involving a 'freeze' game ...

Invincible (film) 1 — An animated superhero series satirized as 'dark Superman' content that appeals to a certain type of viewer who also supp...

Mohammad Atta (person) 1 — One of the 9/11 attackers who allegedly had an interaction at a San Diego Home Depot before the attacks

Chris Christie (person) 1 — Politician referenced in hypothetical attack strategy for Trump's campaign

Ibo people (concept) 1 — Nigerian ethnic group cited by Vonnegut as example of extended family structure with hundreds of relatives

Lil Yachty (person) 1 — Rapper whose concert was deemed too young for 24-year-olds by overly cautious hometown friends

Jacob Sartorious (person) 1 — Young social media star from 2016 referenced as comparison point for age-appropriate concerts

God Only Knows (album) 1 — Beach Boys song analyzed as baroque love song that elevates teenage devotion to the sacred realm

Wouldn't It Be Nice (album) 1 — Beach Boys song discussed as musical expression of sexual frustration disguised as wholesome wish

Ryokan (concept) 1 — Traditional Japanese inn mentioned in discussion of encountering Indian tourists throughout Japan

TMC (concept) 1 — Opposition party controlling West Bengal accused of involvement in attacks on doctors protesting a rape and murder

r/GymMotivation (place) 1 — Reddit community for fitness motivation where users share workout progress and seek encouragement

r/AppearanceAdvice (place) 1 — Reddit community where users seek advice about their appearance, described as frequented by Tate bros, potheads, and por...

Tarantino (person) 1 — Film director whose work is discussed as both entry-level and impenetrable arthouse cinema depending on shifting definit...

Babel (book) 1 — Dark academia novel by R.F. Kuang set at Oxford exploring British imperialism, criticized for anachronistic modern polit...

The Poppy War (book) 1 — Grimdark fantasy trilogy by R.F. Kuang reimagining the Sino-Japanese War and rise of Mao, criticized for rewriting Mao a...