Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Abd al-Malik (person) 1 — Umayyad caliph credited with construction of the Dome of the Rock and suppression of the Kharijites.

Abigail Shapiro (person) 1 — Public figure humorously suggested to be added to Red Dead Redemption 2 as a prostitute character.

System of a Down (album) 1 — Armenian-American rock band discussed in relation to their 2001 lyrics about toxicity and seed oils.

Robert Evans (person) 1 — Host of Behind the Bastards podcast, described as a combination of super lib, redditor, and epic bacon guy, allegedly sp...

Zachary Braff (person) 1 — Actor who starred in Garden State, which was used by college men as a strategy to initiate makeout sessions around 2009-...

Peter Turchin (person) 1 — Thinker referenced in discussion about cultural expectations and the unsustainability of everyone pursuing creative care...

Episcopalianism (concept) 1 — Religious denomination predicted to experience ironic conversions as part of mid-20th century WASP aesthetic appropriati...

Randonautica (concept) 1 — Mobile app discussed as potentially cursed, with users sharing treacherous experiences.

Sean Kelly (person) 1 — Eurosport cycling commentator referenced as an internal motivational voice for persevering through difficult cycling con...

Otis Redding (person) 1 — Musician whose song was performed by a talented busker on the F train in New York

Ryszard Siwiec (person) 1 — Polish person who committed self-immolation as political protest, mentioned alongside Thích Quảng Đức

The Ascent (1977) (film) 1 — Film referenced on Letterboxd as example of using 'kino' as an adverb to describe cinema

Pick-Up Artistry (concept) 1 — Dating strategy movement involving techniques like peacocking that is discussed as potentially making a comeback

North Face (place) 1 — Outdoor apparel brand mentioned in collaboration with Online Ceramics as typical contemporary menswear

Online Ceramics (place) 1 — Clothing brand mentioned in collaboration with North Face as typical contemporary menswear

Galadriel (person) 1 — Character in Amazon's Lord of the Rings series portrayed as a 'girlboss warrior elf' who irrationally jumps into the oce...

The Catalan (concept) 1 — Advanced chess opening played by Magnus Carlsen, part of top-level chess theory.

Agricultural chemicals (concept) 1 — Pesticides and chemicals used in farming that alter gut microbiome and are linked to obesity, insulin resistance, and ne...

Gut microbiome (concept) 1 — Bacterial ecosystem in the digestive system that can be altered by pesticide exposure, potentially causing obesity, insu...

Parkinson's disease (concept) 1 — Neurodegenerative disorder potentially linked to long-term pesticide exposure through gut microbiome alteration.

Alzheimer's disease (concept) 1 — Neurodegenerative disorder potentially linked to long-term pesticide exposure through gut microbiome alteration.

Climate anxiety (concept) 1 — Psychological distress about climate change addressed by BBC with weak advice like joining protests and 'climate optimis...

R2-D2 (person) 1 — Star Wars character whose sounds were used as a phone ringtone at the YMCA, creating an awkward moment.

Camel (cigarettes) (concept) 1 — A brand of cigarettes mentioned by a user discussing their smoking habit and addiction that started in their teenage yea...

East Lancashire (place) 1 — Region in England with ancient polyculture forests where the author had friends and would go rambling as a teenager.

Aniara (film) 1 — 2018 Swedish film based on a 1956 epic poem about passengers on a spaceship knocked off course to Mars, described as a s...

Harry Martinson (person) 1 — Swedish author who wrote the 1956 epic poem 'Aniara' on which the 2018 film was based.

James Harden (person) 1 — An NBA basketball player whose uncertain playing future contributes to a poster's feeling of existential emptiness.

Battleship Potemkin (film) 1 — A Soviet film by Sergei Eisenstein, compared satirically to Barbie as propaganda about displaced peoples.

Sergei Eisenstein (person) 1 — A Soviet filmmaker and director of Battleship Potemkin, invoked in a satirical comparison to Greta Gerwig.

Gaeilge (concept) 1 — The Irish language, spoken by a poster from an Irish-American family with historical Republican connections.

Barnum statements (concept) 1 — Vague personality descriptions that seem personally applicable but are actually general enough to apply to anyone, contr...

Japanese astrology (concept) 1 — An astrological system so influential in Japan that belief in unlucky birth years caused a 25% drop in the birthrate in ...

Gentile da Fabriano (person) 1 — Renaissance artist whose 1423 'Adoration of the Magi' painting influenced Messiaen's religious piano composition.

Apophenia (concept) 1 — The tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things, discussed in the context of constantly seeing ...

Pareidolia (concept) 1 — The psychological phenomenon of perceiving patterns or familiar shapes where none exist, mentioned alongside apophenia i...

Howl (book) 1 — Allen Ginsberg's seminal Beat Generation poem extensively quoted to illustrate the concept of Moloch as representing mec...

French Literature (concept) 1 — Referenced as being more perverse and corrupting than pornography, with the suggestion that religious fundamentalists wo...

Smile (2022) (film) 1 — Horror film whose female lead is described as resembling a combination of Jim Carrey and Dasha Nekrasova when she become...

Bob Uecker (person) 1 — Legendary sports broadcaster who narrated Milwaukee Brewers games, cited as an example of energetic, entertaining sports...

Dinner in America (2020) (film) 1 — 2020 film referenced as depicting true love on the autism spectrum

Hutterites (concept) 1 — Religious community mentioned in context of purchasing eggs at a farmers market

Epstein suicide (concept) 1 — Referenced as a major event that is potentially less significant than the Trump shooting incident

Oh! Darling (album) 1 — Beatles song mentioned as an example of a good 'howlin' song' that tears at the throat.

Karl Pilkington (person) 1 — British television personality and podcast collaborator introduced to the world by Ricky Gervais.

Chuck McGill (film) 1 — Character from Better Call Saul referenced as an example of psychosomatic illness, compared to someone who claims they c...

Ivy Wolfe (person) 1 — Adult film actress who appears in Anora, described as sticking out 'like a sore thumb' and compared to Adam Sandler appe...

Magnus Hirschfeld (person) 1 — Early sexologist whose 'invert' theory of homosexuality has had disproportionate influence on American theories of sexua...

Exotic Becomes Erotic (concept) 1 — Biopsychosocial theory by Daryl Bem suggesting that what feels different or exotic in childhood becomes eroticized in ad...

Amanda Palmer (person) 1 — Musician and performance artist known for her DIY ethos and controversial "Art of Asking" philosophy, discussed in relat...