Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Yellowface (book) 1 — Novel by R.F. Kuang featuring a self-insert Asian female author character who is harassed for dating white men, based on...

Booker Prize (concept) 1 — Literary award that The New Yorker suggested R.F. Kuang should receive

Sino-Japanese War (concept) 1 — Historical conflict where Japan massacred millions of Chinese civilians, reimagined in R.F. Kuang's Poppy War trilogy wi...

Kuomintang (concept) 1 — Political party to which R.F. Kuang has her Mao Zedong character willingly hand over power in The Poppy War trilogy

Death by Lightning (film) 1 — Media production criticized for featuring Mary Sue female and black characters held back by bigoted white men

The Pitt (film) 1 — Medical drama featuring a doctor claiming weight has nothing to do with health and troubled white male characters who wo...

British imperialism (concept) 1 — Historical phenomenon explored in R.F. Kuang's Babel through anachronistic modern political discourse

Han privilege (concept) 1 — Concept that R.F. Kuang believes Chinese people should apologize for, influencing her rewriting of Chinese history in Th...

Top Gun 2 (film) 1 — Blockbuster sequel mentioned as being pretty good and a refreshing blockbuster experience.

Zapruder film (film) 1 — Historical footage of JFK's assassination, mentioned as the only violent death the author had viewed up close before rec...

Treadwell tape (concept) 1 — Audio recording of Timothy Treadwell's death by bear attack that Werner Herzog listened to but refused to let circulate ...

CHP (place) 1 — California Highway Patrol, law enforcement agency whose officer's testimony was dismissed by some jurors who believed al...

Kim family (concept) 1 — North Korean ruling dynasty surrounded by a cult of personality that prevents serious online discussion about the countr...

Rick Steves' Europe (film) 1 — PBS travel show praised for being soothing and educational bedtime viewing

Rick Steves (person) 1 — PBS travel show host appreciated for his consistent and educational European travel content

Khwaja Abdullah Ansari Shrine (place) 1 — Religious site in Herat, Afghanistan featured in Google Maps user uploads

Herat (place) 1 — Afghan city home to the Khwaja Abdullah Ansari Shrine

ChoghaZanbil Ziggurat (place) 1 — Ancient Iranian archaeological site featured in Google Maps user uploads

Bentiu (place) 1 — City in South Sudan featured in Google Maps user uploads

Dena Protected Area (place) 1 — Iranian nature preserve featured in Google Maps user uploads

Awsard (place) 1 — Settlement in Western Sahara featured in Google Maps user uploads

Western Sahara (place) 1 — Disputed territory mentioned as location of Awsard

Peppa Pig (film) 1 — Children's show mentioned in a post about befriending neighborhood kids

Boeing 767 (concept) 1 — Aircraft model mentioned in a post about Chinese airline passengers attempting to switch seats

TripAdvisor (place) 1 — Online travel platform criticized for spoiling the sense of discovery by documenting every 'hidden gem' before travelers...

Codependency (concept) 1 — Pattern of behavior critiqued in millennials who move from one emotionally dependent relationship to another instead of ...

Heinrich Himmler (person) 1 — Nazi official referenced in context of AI-generated controversial content.

Dallas Buyers Club (film) 1 — Matthew McConaughey film watched as part of a couple's filmography project.

The Prestige (film) 1 — Christopher Nolan film that a poster's wife disliked during a filmography viewing project.

Pretty Woman (film) 1 — Film referenced as a template for 'saving' a homeless woman through romance.

YA novel (concept) 1 — Young Adult fiction genre criticized as the type of low-quality art that aspiring creators expect to make a living from.

Everclear (concept) 1 — A high-proof grain alcohol brand mentioned in a satirical post about alcohol strength

Heartbreak High (film) 1 — A Netflix reboot of an Australian teen drama that is criticized for being sterile and sex-positive only in a superficial...

BarstoolU (concept) 1 — A social media account associated with Barstool Sports that posts content aimed at college students

Victoria Pedretti (person) 1 — Actress from the TV show You referenced as a physical comparison in a dating post

You (film) 1 — Television show referenced in context of actress Victoria Pedretti

Boriswave (concept) 1 — Post-Brexit visa liberalization policy in the UK that led to increased immigration from Pakistan

East Africa (place) 1 — Region where poster's parents were born before immigrating to the UK as children of Pakistani extraction

Clifton StrengthsFinder (concept) 1 — Corporate team-building assessment tool criticized as inauthentic during a company offsite

Danse Macabre (concept) 1 — Medieval artistic genre about the universality of death, referenced as lost cultural memento mori in context of Seoul cr...

Polly Pocket (concept) 1 — A children's toy line referenced in a dismissive comment about women claiming to have had deep philosophical thoughts as...

Rhizome (concept) 1 — A philosophical concept referenced sarcastically in relation to claims of precocious childhood philosophical thinking

Stewie Griffin (person) 1 — Animated character from Family Guy used in AI-generated meme content criticized in the post

Palisades (place) 1 — Wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood referenced in a cynical prediction about fire restoration fund misappropriation

South East Asia (place) 1 — Travel region where the poster encountered Israeli tourists constantly discussing Palestine with European travelers

G&G (place) 1 — An alternative online community where women from the subreddit have migrated to escape perceived misogyny

Headspace (place) 1 — A guided meditation app criticized for having tedious instructors

Calm (place) 1 — A guided meditation app criticized alongside Headspace for tedious instruction

The Cardigans (person) 1 — A band whose album Life evoked emotional childhood memories for a listener

Shellac (album) 1 — Band associated with Steve Albini, known for alternative rock music