Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Ryan Carson (person) 1 — Activist and poet who was killed in New York City, subject of a memorial post

Gregorian chants (concept) 1 — Form of medieval Christian liturgical music that has been culturally appropriated by far-right online communities

Christchurch shooting (concept) 1 — Mass shooting event referenced in the context of far-right online communities glorifying violence

Kinsey 6 (concept) 1 — Term from the Kinsey Scale indicating exclusively homosexual orientation, referenced in a humorous post about a gay man ...

Jamestown (place) 1 — Historical colonial settlement referenced as a contrast to modern American wealth in discussion of food assistance

Keemstar (person) 1 — Internet personality referenced as a physical comparison for an overweight man who propositioned a couple for swinging.

University of Illinois (place) 1 — American university where an Israeli sniper from Chicago majored in biology before joining the IDF.

Zoomer stare (concept) 1 — A phenomenon where young Gen Z store employees are noticed to stare blankly at customers without speaking or making prop...

Raleigh, North Carolina (place) 1 — City with numerous trails, parks, festivals, and cultural activities that locals remain unaware of despite living there ...

PUA (Pick-Up Artist) (concept) 1 — Seduction community that emphasizes techniques like eye contact to improve social and romantic interactions.

Woolworths (place) 1 — Defunct British retail chain whose closure is lamented, with its former locations now occupied by American candy stores ...

US hegemony (concept) 1 — American global dominance that, if broken, is predicted to result in significantly worsened living conditions for Americ...

Swagbucks (place) 1 — Rewards platform mentioned alongside other methods poor users use to earn credits for purchases.

Vanilla Ice (person) 1 — Rapper referenced in cruel Instagram comments about an ICE-related killing, with commenters posting gifs of him and his ...

Lviv (place) 1 — Ukrainian city located 70km east of the EU border, mentioned as being targeted by Russian hypersonic missiles.

Indira Gandhi (person) 1 — Former Indian Prime Minister cited as an example of a steely corrupt psycho female leader, contrasted with potential fut...

Benazir Bhutto (person) 1 — Former Pakistani Prime Minister mentioned alongside Indira Gandhi as an example of a steely corrupt psycho female leader...

Kenjutsu (concept) 1 — Japanese sword martial art studied by a student who was reprimanded for using a real katana in an art performance piece.

Obama era (concept) 1 — A period characterized by economic anxiety for millennials following the 2008 recession, with discourse about lack of go...

Emmett Till (person) 1 — Historical figure invoked in discussion about leftists who advocate for mob justice, used to highlight the uncomfortable...

Sinclair Method (concept) 1 — An alcoholism treatment with an 80% success rate using naltrexone taken before drinking to block endorphin highs, popula...

Tilted Kilt (place) 1 — Breastaurant chain that appears to be slowly going out of business, representing the decline of early 2000s 'girls gone ...

Te Pāti Māori (concept) 1 — New Zealand political party virtually devoid of coherent anticapitalist economic sentiment, focused instead on idealized...

Chicago Boys (concept) 1 — Reference to extreme economic deregulation in South America, used to contextualize New Zealand's 1990s economic policies...

Rheinmetall (place) 1 — German defense company mentioned as beneficiary of the EU's 800+ billion euro weapons spending plan.

Mark Rutte (person) 1 — NATO chief who stated that Russia produces more munitions in three months than all NATO countries do combined in a year.

Ed Zitron (person) 1 — Commentator who analyzes AI industry economics and tech company financial sustainability

Pope Leo (person) 1 — First American pope described as a normal Catholic boomer who only posts about Christ and avoids current events

Jasper Nathaniel (person) 1 — American Jewish journalist who reported on settler violence in the West Bank

Gabbie Hanna (person) 1 — Internet personality discussed during a manic episode where Gen Z criticized her behavior without understanding mental i...

Sperm whales (concept) 1 — Intelligent marine mammals discussed as potential communication partners using AI language models to decode their comple...

Humpback whales (concept) 1 — Marine mammals noted for defending other species from orcas and having potential alliance with sperm whales

Bob Bryar (person) 1 — Former My Chemical Romance drummer who allegedly committed suicide after the 2024 election

Bruce Willis (person) 1 — Actor referenced in context of a plane crash survivor walking out of wreckage unscathed.

Hearts of Iron (film) 1 — A strategy video game discussed by autistic individuals as an example of male gaming preferences.

Factorio (film) 1 — A strategy video game praised for its depth, mentioned as a favorite among autistic gamers.

Satisfactory (film) 1 — A strategy video game compared to Factorio but considered to have less depth.

World of Tanks (film) 1 — A strategy video game discussed among autistic gamers.

r/lonely (place) 1 — A subreddit for people experiencing loneliness and social isolation.

Lyft (place) 1 — A rideshare service where a driver kicked out a passenger for not saying hello.

OED (place) 1 — Oxford English Dictionary, referenced as a source for etymological research on vulgar slang terms.

Adam Ruins Everything (film) 1 — A television show referenced as a source of mainstream progressive political opinions shared via infographics

Angels in the Outfield (film) 1 — A film referenced in a Cumtown comedy bit about parental abandonment

Steve Lacy (person) 1 — A musician associated with prototypical zoomer cultural tastes

Ocarina of Time (film) 1 — A video game praised for its beautifully cultivated atmosphere and artistic merit

Men's Warehouse (place) 1 — A retail clothing store mentioned as an honorable mention for annoying professions

DoD (Department of Defense) (place) 1 — U.S. government agency discussed in context of proposed medical research funding cuts

Kim Sae Ron (person) 1 — Korean child actress who died by suicide after being groomed and financially ruined by actor Kim Soo Hyun

Kim Soo Hyun (person) 1 — Korean actor accused of grooming child actress Kim Sae Ron from age 15 and contributing to her suicide through financial...

Princess Nokia (person) 1 — Musician discussed as an example of yassification and cosmetic surgery changing her aesthetic.