Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Mission: Impossible (film) 1 — Long-running film series starring Tom Cruise that began in the 1990s based on 1960s source material.

OneDrive (concept) 1 — Microsoft cloud storage service criticized for forcing installation and deleting local files without user consent.

Corey Doctorow (person) 1 — Writer who coined the term 'enshittification', criticized for using vulgar language compared to past cultural critics.

Robert Hughes (person) 1 — Cultural critic mentioned alongside Susan Sontag as an example of sophisticated intellectual discourse compared to conte...

PGA (place) 1 — Professional golf organization mentioned as being bought by Saudi Arabia in discussion of money ruining sports.

NHL (concept) 1 — National Hockey League mentioned as adding advertising to jerseys as part of commercialization of sports.

Time Warner (place) 1 — Media conglomerate criticized for damaging HBO's brand by producing low-quality content while paying executives exorbita...

NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) (concept) 1 — Personality disorder that the post argues is being overdiagnosed and weaponized by people who may themselves display nar...

Bezalel Smotrich (person) 1 — Israeli far-right Finance Minister who received celebrity-like attention from students

Vince Vaughn (person) 1 — Actor who allegedly de-aged himself and is wearing a skin mask according to a conspiratorial post

Noah's Ark (concept) 1 — Biblical story mentioned in conspiracy theories about Antarctica

Elementals (film) 1 — Disney animated film that was a box office flop in 2023

Haunted Mansion (film) 1 — Disney film that was a box office flop in 2023

Robert Louis Stevenson (person) 1 — Writer who served at sea and turned his seafaring experiences into great literature

Priscilla (film) 1 — Film mentioned as part of a recent upswing in cinema quality

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (film) 1 — Big movie used as a comparison point for recent cinema releases

Plan 9 from Outer Space (film) 1 — Classic 'so bad it's good' film representing authentic outsider filmmaking.

Cocaine Bear (film) 1 — 2023 film criticized as deliberately bad movie made for 'Epic Bacon' audiences, representing corporate imitation of outs...

Naive Art (concept) 1 — Art movement referenced as sharing appeal with amateur filmmaking's unself-conscious passion.

Outsider Music (concept) 1 — Musical movement sharing the appeal of unself-conscious amateur passion.

Holland (place) 1 — Country visited and photographed on film, described as beautiful and populated by autistic Dutch people.

Olympic Peninsula (place) 1 — National park area where workers were fired under current administration.

North Cascades (place) 1 — National park area where workers were fired under current administration.

Hollow Knight: Silksong (film) 1 — Video game whose release is jokingly cited as reason trans people couldn't be Charlie Kirk's shooter.

Spider Man (film) 1 — Superhero franchise cited as inadequate replacement for authentic teen media for Gen Z

Edge of Seventeen (film) 1 — Modern high school film cited as a rare quality example of teen representation for contemporary audiences

Micheál Mac Liammóir (person) 1 — Irish actor and co-founder of the Gate Theatre in Dublin, part of the first openly gay couple in Irish public life who e...

Hilton Edwards (person) 1 — Irish theatrical producer who co-founded the Gate Theatre in Dublin and gave Orson Welles his acting debut

Gate Theatre (place) 1 — Dublin theater founded by Micheál Mac Liammóir and Hilton Edwards, the first openly gay couple in Irish public life

Seeking Derangements (concept) 1 — Podcast episode featuring discussion of trans surgery culture including breast implants and BBL procedures

Taiping Rebellion (concept) 1 — The second deadliest war in human history, lasting 14 years in 19th century China with no photographic documentation des...

Hong Xiuquan (person) 1 — Leader of the Taiping Rebellion who was never photographed despite living during the early photography era

Trajan (person) 1 — Roman Emperor whose name is unknown to people claiming to think about the Roman Empire frequently

Scipio (person) 1 — Roman general whose name means nothing to people falsely claiming deep knowledge of Roman history

Imperator (film) 1 — Game referenced as something real Roman Empire enthusiasts would have played

Prince Emanuele Filiberto (person) 1 — Italian prince and failson who became a TV personality and led European royal families in promoting a failed video game ...

The Royal Land (film) 1 — Failed MMO RPG video game promoted by European fallen royal families, featuring AI-generated content and terrible produc...

Murder She Wrote (film) 1 — Classic television show referenced as an example of quieter, less overstimulating media content

Last Podcast on the Left (album) 1 — True crime podcast criticized for its irreverent, humorous treatment of serious violent crimes

ASU (place) 1 — Arizona State University, referenced as a source of class anxiety when one friend gets in while another goes to communit...

r/hinge (place) 1 — Reddit community for the dating app Hinge, where users discuss dating profiles and are critiqued for lack of style

Vanuatu (place) 1 — Pacific island nation described as much more welcoming to tourists than Hawaii despite visitors being racial minorities

John Woo (person) 1 — Hong Kong action film director, referenced as the kind of filmmaker watched by aimless underachieving men

Engagement Culture (concept) 1 — The phenomenon of reducing serious events and human suffering into content for online interaction and clicks

ZIRP (concept) 1 — Zero Interest Rate Policy, referenced in context of government policies that enriched Boomers through inflated home valu...

Lemony Snicket (person) 1 — Pen name of Daniel Handler, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events who is argued to not get enough credit as a childre...

The Grim Grotto (book) 1 — One book in A Series of Unfortunate Events that the poster returns to as a comforting read during difficult times

The Hostile Hospital (book) 1 — One book in A Series of Unfortunate Events that the poster returns to as a comforting read during difficult times

Jewelers Building (place) 1 — Gothic highrise building in Chicago featured in a photo essay of Gothic architecture

Cathedral of Learning (place) 1 — Gothic highrise building in Pittsburgh featured in a photo essay of Gothic architecture