Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Amnesty International (place) 1 — Human rights organization humorously observed to use attractive women to get petition signatures.

Purge (film) 1 — A franchise referenced as a model for anthology-style storytelling with new characters each season

Ned Stark (person) 1 — A Game of Thrones character whose unexpected death is referenced as an example of emotionally impactful storytelling

Edgar Wright (person) 1 — Director of Last Night in Soho, whose filmography is personally disliked by the poster

M. Night Shyamalan (person) 1 — Director whose films are used as comparison for Last Night in Soho's failed attempts at cleverness

Airplane (film) 1 — A parody film that uses tropes for comedic effect, unlike Last Night in Soho which uses them earnestly

UChicago (place) 1 — University of Chicago, discussed in context of emotionally traumatic and bizarre dating experiences with its students

How I Met Your Father (film) 1 — A TV reboot starring Hillary Duff, discussed as potential 2010s nostalgia programming.

Hillary Duff (person) 1 — Actress starring in the TV reboot How I Met Your Father, discussed in context of 2010s nostalgia.

Stepan Bandera (person) 1 — Ukrainian nationalist figure whose statues are being built in Ukraine, mentioned in a post critical of U.S. military aid...

Radio Free Europe (place) 1 — U.S.-funded broadcasting organization mentioned sarcastically as a propaganda outlet in post about Ukraine.

Tavi Gevinson (person) 1 — Writer and cultural figure mentioned as part of New York's young literary and indie film scene.

BFI (place) 1 — British Film Institute mentioned alongside BBC as major film producer, described as limiting indie film culture in Londo...

NCAT (place) 1 — NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in Australia, mentioned as legal recourse for neighbor noise complaints.

Microsoft Surface Pro (concept) 1 — Premium Windows laptop line plagued by manufacturing defects including battery expansion issues.

Fidesz (concept) 1 — Hungarian political party led by Viktor Orbán that won the 2022 election but faces dissatisfaction from right-wing voter...

Mi Hazánk (concept) 1 — Right-wing Hungarian political party that entered the National Assembly after crossing the 5% threshold in 2022.

Clearview AI (concept) 1 — Facial recognition service that scrapes the internet to build profiles and sells access to law enforcement and private c...

Kashmir Hill (person) 1 — New York Times journalist who wrote extensively about Clearview AI's facial recognition technology.

Progressive Christianity (concept) 1 — Form of Christianity characterized by pro-LGBT positions and female pastors, described as endpoint of a pipeline from Ne...

Radiooooo (concept) 1 — Music app that curates playlists based on country, era, and speed criteria, focusing on ethnomusicology and internationa...

Tom Hulce (person) 1 — American actor who played Mozart in Amadeus, praised for his charisma in contrast to modern TV actors.

Mischa Barton (person) 1 — American-British actress mentioned as an example of past TV actresses with charisma and unique looks.

MASH (film) 1 — American TV series referenced for having an attractive doctor character, contrasted with modern television casting.

Stolen Focus (book) 1 — Book by Johann Hari discussing ADHD medication and attention, cited to argue that stimulants affect everyone similarly r...

Johann Hari (person) 1 — British-Swiss writer and journalist, author of Stolen Focus, cited on ADHD medication effects.

The Lord of the Rings (TV series) (film) 1 — Amazon's new Lord of the Rings television series criticized for its CGI and elf character designs

E.M. Cioran (person) 1 — Romanian philosopher and essayist known for aphoristic writings on pessimism, futility, and the human condition

All Gall is Divided (book) 1 — Book by E.M. Cioran containing aphoristic quotes about pessimism, optimism, suicide, and the intellectual

Fennesz (person) 1 — Electronic musician known for Transit featuring David Sylvian, discussed in context of Spotify algorithm repetition

David Sylvian (person) 1 — Musician featured on Fennesz's Transit, mentioned as an example of algorithmic music repetition

The Feelies (album) 1 — Rock band whose song 'Crazy Rhythms' is cited as a favorite love song

Graham Coxon (person) 1 — Blur guitarist who performs 'You're So Great', described as very endearing

Bonjour Tristesse (book) 1 — Novel by Françoise Sagan found among Penguin Classics at Gatwick airport

Notes from a Native Son (book) 1 — Essay collection by James Baldwin found among Penguin Classics at Gatwick airport

Tove Ditlevsen (person) 1 — Danish author whose works were found among Penguin Classics at Gatwick airport

Otaku (concept) 1 — Japanese term for obsessive fans who collect every piece of merchandise from a series, now compared to Western media con...

r/rswritingclub (place) 1 — Red Scare-affiliated writing subreddit created for users to post their writing, ask for critique, and participate in con...

Ovarit (place) 1 — Online forum mentioned as an alternative destination for disgruntled subreddit users.

Vincent D'Onofrio (person) 1 — Actor referenced for his performance in Men in Black where his character drinks sugar water.

James Marsters (person) 1 — Actor from Buffy the Vampire Slayer discussed in terms of his distinctive facial structure resembling buccal fat removal...

Sound of Metal (film) 1 — Film referenced in connection with losing hearing as a musician

Misophonia (concept) 1 — Online affectation of claiming hypersensitivity to sounds like chewing, criticized as a Tumblr-originated pretension

Vibram FiveFingers (concept) 1 — Toe shoes worn by highly-paid tech worker nicknamed 'Toes' in essay about tech industry privilege

Mennonites (concept) 1 — Religious community whose men staff a rural volunteer fire station

Operation Barbarossa (concept) 1 — Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union that Stalin failed to anticipate despite numerous intelligence warnings, res...

Russian Civil War (concept) 1 — Conflict that the West allegedly meddled in and prolonged, leading to Soviet paranoia

Janeane Garofalo (person) 1 — Comedian and actress described as hot in her own way and appearing in a Seinfeld episode, likely pursued by male comics ...

Teen Wolf (film) 1 — TV series that a nearly 30-year-old man has tattoos and shirts of while calling himself an alpha.

Collective Unconscious (concept) 1 — Concept invoked in discussion about the lack of contemporary artistic commentary on modern social issues like school sho...