Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Pharrell (person) 1 — Musician and producer whose songs are mentioned in the context of crowds celebrating the 2020 election results during CO...

Welcome to the N.H.K. (film) 1 — Japanese media property mentioned as an embarrassing teenage identification point for feeling represented in media.

Mike Rowe (person) 1 — Television host known for blue-collar work advocacy, referenced as a model for an industrial park warden in a satirical ...

Diane Sawyer (person) 1 — American television journalist referenced in a satirical post about imaginary guys.

David McGowan (person) 1 — Author of Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon, a book investigating alleged intelligence community connections in the Laurel ...

Sátántangó (film) 1 — Seven-and-a-half-hour Hungarian art film by Béla Tarr mentioned as the ultimate test of cinematic endurance, intended to...

Maya Deren (person) 1 — Experimental filmmaker whose complete works the poster claims to have seen by age six, used to critique younger generati...

Stan Vanderbeek (person) 1 — Experimental filmmaker cited as an even more obscure reference point than Stan Brakhage in critique of declining film li...

Andy Rourke (person) 1 — Bassist for The Smiths whose death prompted discussion of favorite songs by the band.

Flat Stanley (book) 1 — A children's book featuring a character who becomes flat and is sent to various places, with the concept used in element...

Twin Towers (place) 1 — The World Trade Center towers in New York City, referenced in a satirical scenario about preventing 9/11.

Kat Dennings (person) 1 — Actress whose marriage announcement prompted a humorous expression of despair from a fan.

Alex Garland (person) 1 — Director of the film Civil War, praised for avoiding direct political analogies and focusing on the audiovisual experien...

Nick Offerman (person) 1 — Actor who plays a role in Civil War and delivers a fantastic performance despite being described as a potential source o...

Roland Emmerich (person) 1 — Film director referenced as someone who would do hokey destruction of famous landmarks, contrasted with Alex Garland's m...

Lincoln Memorial (place) 1 — Washington, DC landmark featured briefly in Civil War when a bomb goes off at the location.

Stranger Danger (concept) 1 — 1980s cultural panic about child safety that allegedly transformed society from high-trust to low-trust, destroyed commu...

Archimedes (person) 1 — Ancient mathematician and engineer who was killed by Roman soldiers while refusing to abandon his drawings, invoked in c...

Matteo Zuppi (person) 1 — A progressive Catholic cardinal who brokered peace in Mozambique in 1992 and is considered a potential papal candidate

Louis Antonio Gokim Tagle (person) 1 — A progressive Filipino cardinal who is charismatic and considered a potential papal candidate

C-SPAN (place) 1 — Television network covering U.S. government proceedings, referenced in a joke about elderly politicians

Jafar Panahi (person) 1 — Filmmaker referenced as an example of art cinema directors to whom horror films should not be compared.

Taste of Cherry (film) 1 — Art film described as incredibly boring by Roger Ebert in a review that the poster agrees with.

Drinking Alone by Moonlight (book) 1 — 8th century Chinese poem by Li Bai about drinking wine alone in the company of the moon and his shadow.

Jean Honoré Fragonard (person) 1 — Artist who painted 'Young Girl Reading' (1769), included in a collection of favorite yellow paintings.

The Yellow House (book) 1 — 1888 painting by Vincent Van Gogh featured in a collection of favorite yellow paintings.

Ramon Casas (person) 1 — Artist who painted 'La Sargantain' (1907), included in a collection of favorite yellow paintings.

Artemisia Gentileschi (person) 1 — Artist who painted 'Judith and Her Maidservant' (1625), included in a collection of favorite yellow paintings.

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (person) 1 — Artist who painted 'Fairy-Tale. Journey of the Princess II' (1907), included in a collection of favorite yellow painting...

Telecommunication Act of 1996 (concept) 1 — US legislation cited as one of many factors that made life in America worse.

US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (concept) 1 — Copyright legislation listed as contributing to decline in quality of American life.

PG-13 rating (concept) 1 — Film rating system whose creation is cited as negatively impacting American culture.

Jelly Roll (person) 1 — Contemporary musician whose ubiquitous presence represents a shift in white male music from stomp-clap folk to opioid cr...

ChatGPT O3 (concept) 1 — Advanced AI model that achieved 96.7% accuracy on competitive mathematics benchmarks and 87.7% on PhD-level science ques...

AI Agents (concept) 1 — Autonomous AI systems that can work independently and communicate with each other, predicted to transform white-collar w...

Transylvania (place) 1 — Romanian region, birthplace of a predatory teacher who dressed in all black and kept classroom windows closed, earning h...

Suzuki Swift (concept) 1 — Car model that a predatory teacher would test drive weekly for an import company.

Al Franken (person) 1 — Former US Senator who was cancelled and forced from office over controversial photos, contrasted with other political fi...

Trad Wife (concept) 1 — Traditional wife movement mentioned as a dating strategy for conservative men in big cities.

Ulrike Meinhof (person) 1 — Historical figure whose suicide prompted criticism of the euphemism 'unalivement' as a sign of societal failure.

Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End (album) 1 — Three-song medley from The Beatles' Abbey Road album, praised as something that nobody can take away from you even when ...

Friend AI (concept) 1 — AI-powered necklace device mentioned as an example of controversial engagement bait marketing.

HBD (concept) 1 — Human Biodiversity forums mentioned in the context of controversial discussions about race that have shifted into mainst...

Unz Review (place) 1 — Online publication mentioned as a place where controversial discussions about race were previously confined before enter...

Monday Morning Podcast (album) 1 — Bill Burr's podcast where he discussed performing in Saudi Arabia for money.

Daryl Hannah (person) 1 — An openly autistic actress whose challenges helped someone diagnosed with autism feel less alone without making it the s...

Matchbox Twenty (album) 1 — A band whose songs frequently feature male empathy and understanding of the ex's perspective in breakup songs, with Rob ...

Rob Thomas (person) 1 — Songwriter known for empathetic male breakup songs that try to understand things from the ex's perspective.

Satanic Gang (concept) 1 — An alleged gang that supposedly carries out initiation rituals involving random acts of violence, with colors black, red...

Fat People Hate (concept) 1 — A controversial subreddit that was banned and became a notable moment in Reddit's history.