Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Game Theory Optimal (concept) 1 — The mathematically correct way to play poker in every possible situation, proven by computer software over the past deca...

Balthus (person) 1 — Painter referenced for his work 'Girl and Cat' which contains a provocative center composition.

Arthur Butt (person) 1 — 19th century painter who created 'Eating Ass' (1883), a painting of a donkey having a snack.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (film) 1 — Comedy film praised as an 'all-timer' from the Apatow/Rogen/Segel era of mid-2000s comedy.

Jason Segel (person) 1 — Comedian and actor associated with mid-2000s Apatow comedy era.

Ben Stiller (person) 1 — Comedian who dominated 1990s comedy alongside Jim Carrey.

Social Emotional Learning (concept) 1 — Educational framework for which a school received 20k to spend on activities like gift baskets and personality tests.

r/AustralianTeachers (place) 1 — Australian teacher forum on Reddit where discussions reveal boys falling behind in schools.

r/Internationalteachers (place) 1 — International teacher forum on Reddit where discussions reveal boys falling behind girls in educational achievement glob...

National Enquirer (place) 1 — American tabloid publication used by Trump to spread false stories about Ted Cruz during the 2016 primary, including fak...

Moz (person) 1 — Musician celebrated with birthday post including photos from a 2023 Hammersmith concert.

Hammersmith (place) 1 — London venue where Moz performed a concert in 2023.

Petey Pablo (person) 1 — Rapper referenced in a post about how the internet age has made it impossible to tell fun lies like 'petey pablo recorde...

Raise Up (album) 1 — Song by Petey Pablo used as example of pre-internet fun lies people could tell, claiming he recorded 50 versions for eac...

Illenium (person) 1 — EDM artist whose festival culture is criticized as vulgar with scantily clad, high people flailing to 'the WORST music y...

Fauxtism (concept) 1 — Term defined as honestly believing you have autism when you actually do not, but rather never learned social skills or h...

Zainichi Koreans (concept) 1 — Term for Korean diaspora in Japan who faced difficult choices after WWII between moving to poor military dictatorships i...

Syngman Rhee (person) 1 — American-backed leader who established South Korea after WWII, leading to the Korean War and eventually the ROK state.

DPRK (place) 1 — Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), which appeared attractive to Korean diaspora in Japan as late as th...

ROK (place) 1 — Republic of Korea (South Korea), which in the 1950s-1970s was one of the poorest countries in the world and a military d...

TMG podcast (album) 1 — Podcast associated with Cody Ko whose merchandise fans try to resell on Reddit, exemplifying the cringe of influencer me...

Alain Delon (person) 1 — French actor known for Le Samouraï and Purple Noon, described as The King

Jean Gabin (person) 1 — French actor described as a longtime obsession before discovering Alain Delon

Purple Noon (film) 1 — Film featuring Alain Delon, mentioned as the next pick after discovering Le Samouraï

Rachel Comey (person) 1 — Fashion designer associated with PMC Brooklyn creative types

Evil eye (concept) 1 — Folk belief in supernatural protection appropriated and flattened into emoji usage by PMC millennials

Joseph Heller (person) 1 — Author of Catch-22

All Dogs Go To Heaven (film) 1 — An animated children's film remembered for its dark and ominous vibes beneath a sweet surface.

Spy Kids (film) 1 — A children's film cited as having sweet surface elements but dark ominous undertones.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (film) 1 — A children's film mentioned as having dark ominous vibes beneath its sweet surface.

Sleepy Hollow (film) 1 — An animated movie mentioned as having dark ominous vibes beneath its children's film surface.

James and the Giant Peach (film) 1 — A children's film cited as having dark ominous vibes beneath its sweet surface.

The Rescuers Down Under (film) 1 — A children's animated film mentioned as having dark ominous vibes beneath its sweet surface.

Chinese Spy Balloon (concept) 1 — A geopolitical incident mentioned as the subject of aggressive commentary in an embarrassing subreddit thread about Chin...

Cava (place) 1 — A fast-casual restaurant chain mentioned as one of the standardized food options PMC workers eat at in American downtown...

MSN (concept) 1 — Microsoft messaging service referenced in context of early 2000s online communication.

Mauritania (place) 1 — African country where a State Department official was posted before having a child with a Syrian-French economics profes...

State Department (concept) 1 — U.S. government department referenced in connection with an official posted in Middle East and Africa.

Syrian civil war (concept) 1 — Conflict during which financial crimes were committed to fund Assad's chemical weapons use.

SAG (concept) 1 — Screen Actors Guild, a union that had a major strike over AI voice acting, whose members were used in Darren Aronofsky's...

Mainline Protestantism (concept) 1 — Christian religious tradition referenced as part of a satirical center-left lifestyle position.

ACB (person) 1 — Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court Justice described as having a 'girl next door/serial killer vibe' in a provocative post...

Made In America (film) 1 — The Sopranos series finale episode depicting Tony Soprano's experience of life and relationships.

Maxine Waters (person) 1 — Politician referenced in a satirical post about an incident with journalist Michael Tracey.

Charls Carroll (person) 1 — MDE member whose wife is of interest to fans researching the comedy group.

r/blackScare (place) 1 — Subreddit where Red Scare podcast content is shared for free, circumventing the Patreon paywall.

RP (concept) 1 — Red Pill ideology, discussed in connection with mental instability and relationship dysfunction

Trafalgar Square (place) 1 — London landmark where the poster and their friend engaged in public interactions

Rehearsal (film) 1 — TV show by Nathan Fielder whose premiere episode was discussed on the subreddit

Black Israelites (concept) 1 — Religious movement discussed in relation to distinguishing various Black religious and cultural groups