Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

FakeReporter (place) 1 — Organization that uncovered Israel's disinformation campaign targeting US lawmakers.

Mr. Feeny (person) 1 — Character from Boy Meets World referenced by Ben Shapiro on camera.

Jesse Owens (person) 1 — Olympic athlete compared to YouTube speedrunners who break records in ways once thought impossible.

1936 Olympics (concept) 1 — Historic Olympics compared to watching YouTube speedrun record-breaking achievements.

Microsoft Recall (concept) 1 — Microsoft feature using AI to take constant screenshots and create a searchable database of user activity without user r...

Windows LTSC (concept) 1 — Version of Windows 10 without spyware, telemetry, or AI features, supported until 2032.

r/HardVideos (place) 1 — Subreddit that appeared seemingly from nowhere with artificially inflated traffic, featuring basketball clips and fight ...

r/ExplainTheJoke (place) 1 — Subreddit featuring obvious jokes that generate engagement through hundreds of users explaining them

Akon (person) 1 — Senegalese-American musician whose 'Lonely' music video is referenced as depicting social isolation

Stardew Valley (film) 1 — Video game criticized for having character archetypes that reflect suburban liberal imagination including stereotypical ...

Gaetano Mosca (person) 1 — Right-wing Italian political thinker mentioned in satirical astral projection narrative as forced admiration

Social Circling (concept) 1 — Dating advice method criticized as bizarre strategy where men join female friend groups without romantic intent, hoping ...

Mike Israetel (person) 1 — Fitness YouTuber with a PhD accused of writing a high school-level thesis and running a syndicate of science-based fitne...

Charlie Rose (person) 1 — Television interviewer who conducted 2002 interview with Viggo Mortensen about war protests

Bomani Jones (person) 1 — Sports media personality referenced as an example of someone with radio personality talent similar to Anna Khachiyan.

Psychology Today (place) 1 — Psychology publication cited as source for article about male loneliness and dating trends.

Complex PTSD (concept) 1 — Mental health diagnosis mentioned alongside borderline personality disorder and attachment disorder as potential descrip...

Sensitive Young Man (concept) 1 — A cultural archetype or phase described as a period of male emotional sensitivity, contrasted with enjoying masculine an...

r/seattlewa (place) 1 — Seattle city subreddit described as more normal than r/seattle but accused of being a MAGA sub for not supporting extrem...

GDF (person) 1 — Video essayist who created content about Israeli government involvement in Hollywood propaganda films.

Exodus (film) 1 — Hollywood film cited as an example of Israeli government co-funding and influence to portray Israel positively.

Krav Maga (concept) 1 — Israeli martial art mentioned in Disney Channel shows as an example of casual Israeli cultural references that some view...

Berry Benson (person) 1 — Confederate veteran whose thoughts about reconciliation in the afterlife are narrated at the end of Ken Burns' Civil War...

Bucha (place) 1 — A Ukrainian city where alleged war crimes occurred during the 2022 Russian invasion, discussed in the context of Western...

Tisch (place) 1 — Referenced as Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, an institution attended by wealthy young Hollywood actors and actresses.

Browning (place) 1 — Referenced as the Browning School, an elite educational institution attended by wealthy young Hollywood actors and actre...

Gymcel (concept) 1 — A term describing people who spend excessive time at the gym, often as a form of escapism or self-optimization, potentia...

Monk mode (concept) 1 — A lifestyle approach involving withdrawal from social media and focus on self-improvement and singular goals.

Frances Farmer (person) 1 — Actress who was the subject of the book Shadowland that Kurt Cobain was fascinated by, later debunked as mostly fabricat...

Shadowland (book) 1 — Debunked book about Frances Farmer that Kurt Cobain was fascinated by before his death

Axel Rose (person) 1 — Guns N' Roses frontman whose real name is Bill Bailey, allegedly used by Kurt Cobain as an alias when checking into mote...

Antoni Gaudí (person) 1 — Catalan architect cited as an example of devout Catholic artists who created great art

Birkin (concept) 1 — Luxury handbag brand referenced as a status symbol used by extremely wealthy students

Finlandisation (concept) 1 — A political concept referring to a country's policy of neutrality to maintain sovereignty near a powerful neighbor, whic...

Google Maps (place) 1 — A digital mapping service used obsessively in combination with Wikipedia to explore random places around the world.

Vibes-based politics (concept) 1 — A contemporary political phenomenon where emotion and perception trump substantive policy positions in determining elect...

The Phantom of the Paradise (film) 1 — A cult film whose rep screening at the Music Box Theater was marred by fans performatively laughing to show their knowle...

The Sweet East (film) 1 — A new film mentioned as an example where audiences at indie theaters engaged in performative laughter.

Czechia (place) 1 — A country whose train system is more reliable than Germany's despite lower economic status.

Michael Owen (person) 1 — Former English footballer analyzed in detail as potentially having autism based on his unusual behaviors, routines, and ...

Cool Runnings (film) 1 — One of the eight films Michael Owen watched and hated, mentioned in BBC article about his dislike of cinema.

Vlad the Impaler (person) 1 — Historical figure known for impaling victims, used as metaphor for someone with a stick up their ass.

Drew Brees (person) 1 — Former NFL quarterback criticized for doing advertising for gambling sites, adding legitimacy to predatory industry.

Manchester United (place) 1 — English football club where Michael Owen played, with fans discussing his autistic traits on forums.

Eiko Ishioka (person) 1 — Japanese art director and costume designer described as one of the poster's favorite creative visionaries.

Vinyl chloride (concept) 1 — A toxic chemical pollutant discussed in relation to the Ohio train disaster, described as the last step in the TCE Degra...

Diaoyutai State Guesthouse (place) 1 — Chinese state guesthouse where Kissinger met with Xi Jinping and first met with Chinese officials nearly fifty years ago...

Kristen Bell (person) 1 — Short, semi-hot, cocky and wisecracking celebrity actress disliked by the poster but loved by Reddit.

Solomon's Temple (place) 1 — Ancient Jewish temple referenced in discussion of hypothetical Israeli religious expansionism

The Gentrification of Disability (book) 1 — Freddie DeBoer essay about how the public face of disabilities consists of people least impaired by them, discussed in c...