Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Chris Murphy (person) 5 — Person whose name was used as a mocking nickname in a workplace bullying scenario following the Charlie Kirk assassinati...

DIIV (album) 5 — Band whose bassist was kicked out for posting on 4chan, representing early cancel culture in the indie music scene.

Rob Reiner (person) 5 — A filmmaker whose daughter and neighbors knew his son was responsible when they were killed, as the son had been violent...

Judy Garland (person) 5 — Actress and star of The Wizard of Oz who was put on pills and extreme diets as a child, developing an addiction that las...

Monty Python (person) 5 — British comedy group referenced for their 'Killer Joke' sketch as a metaphor for AI-generated psychological trauma

Dan Price (person) 5 — CEO with long hair known for paying employees minimum $70K salary, criticized as doing so to avoid lawsuit and for gener...

Channel 5 (film) 5 — YouTube channel created by Andrew Callaghan known for street journalism and interviewing eclectic characters at events a...

DALL-E (concept) 5 — AI image generation technology discussed as producing genuinely charming and idiosyncratic output that challenges previo...

Pirates of the Caribbean (film) 5 — Film franchise whose first installment is praised for minimal worldbuilding ('cursed Aztec gold') while sequels are crit...

Jane Goodall (person) 5 — Primatologist whose career start with only a high school degree by cold-calling a leading researcher exemplifies easier ...

Smashing Pumpkins (album) 5 — Rock band whose album Siamese Dream was listed among someone's top five albums of all time.

Hasbara (concept) 5 — Israeli propaganda that is described as transparently incoherent, simultaneously denying and justifying mass killing and...

Indiana Jones (film) 5 — Film franchise that Netflix has allegedly successfully bid for, according to an overheard conversation, though the franc...

MGTOW (concept) 5 — Men Going Their Own Way movement criticized as regarding since members still make everything about dunking on women rath...

Net Neutrality (concept) 5 — 2017-2018 internet policy debate that Reddit heavily mobilized around, with posts still appearing at the top of state su...

Ben Affleck (person) 5 — Actor discussed in detail regarding his public struggles with alcoholism and sobriety, with speculation that he may be l...

Labubu (concept) 5 — Viral trend or product that costs around $90 for a keychain, causing 'Labubu fatigue' among those tired of seeing it.

Anna Kendrick (person) 5 — Short, semi-hot, cocky and wisecracking celebrity actress disliked by the poster but loved by Reddit.

Ayahuasca (concept) 5 — Psychedelic plant medicine used in healing ceremonies, mentioned as part of an underground healing scene the author was ...

Johnny Marr (person) 5 — Guitarist from The Smiths who signed a copy of Hatful of Hollow that was sold due to male manipulator stereotype fears.

The Intercept (place) 5 — News publication that reported on CIA investment in woolly mammoth resurrection technology

Cultural appropriation (concept) 5 — Concept discussed as not inherently bad by itself, with racist representations and enrichment from appropriating culture...

Haiti (place) 5 — Caribbean nation discussed as a potentially beautiful place destroyed by imperialism and gang violence, with a rich cult...

Revolver (album) 5 — The Beatles album referenced as aspirational model for creating a generational masterpiece to escape conventional work

PBS (place) 5 — Public television channel whose funding was shut down in 2025, causing nostalgia and concern about loss of free educatio...

Matthew McConaughey (person) 5 — Actor cited as an example of someone who became successful through chance rather than hidden talent, randomly picked up ...

Sicario (film) 5 — A film criticized in the post for receiving unwarranted praise with basic promotional screenshots

Ezra Miller (person) 5 — An actor in The Perks of Being a Wallflower criticized for playing an insufferable and stereotypical flamboyant gay thea...

Peter Griffin (person) 5 — Character from Family Guy referenced for his catchphrase "You wanna know what grinds my gears?" in a post complaining ab...

Fredric Jameson (person) 5 — Marxist literary critic and theorist who died in 2024, known for his analysis of postmodernism and cultural texts includ...

Zara (place) 5 — Fast fashion brand mentioned alongside H&M and SHEIN as dominating thrift stores with poorly made clothes after reseller...

Hooters (place) 5 — Restaurant franchise chain discussed by a user who has developed an addiction to looking at photos of Hooters girls post...

My Chemical Romance (album) 5 — Early 2000s band that was widely loathed and bottled at festivals during their prime but is now beloved by zoomers who v...

Fishtank (film) 5 — A reality TV exploitation program that viral marketers were allegedly flooding the subreddit to promote using fake accou...

MDE (film) 5 — Comedy group Million Dollar Extreme co-founded by Sam Hyde, mentioned as not particularly funny despite Hyde's compellin...

Herman Melville (person) 5 — American author of Moby Dick who wrote about the eternal youth of the world and the inexhaustibility of human expression...

Mark Twain (person) 5 — American author and humorist, referenced as physical comparison for an elderly white-haired cashier with a bushy mustach...

Northern Ireland (place) 5 — Region referenced in context of a Reuters article about Catholics outnumbering Protestants for the first time in census ...

Willem Dafoe (person) 5 — Actor discussed for his unconventional portrayal of Jesus as a sleazy car salesman who performs miracles in what appears...

Norman Mailer (person) 5 — American writer who in The Armies of the Night (1968) analyzed the spiritual alienation of the urban middle class and th...

A Series of Unfortunate Events (book) 5 — A children's book series mentioned alongside Skulduggery Pleasant as examples of simplistic books that former 'gifted ki...

Kiwifarms (place) 5 — Online forum community that uses investigative abilities to infiltrate and expose networks involved in monkey torture co...

John Kerry (person) 5 — Presidential candidate represented as Ambien in opposition to George W. Bush's cocaine in a drug-politics framework.

Henry Miller (person) 5 — American writer invoked as a symbol of freedom and liberation from delusion about beauty standards and social media.

DSM-5 (concept) 5 — The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, criticized in discussions about the validity a...

San Antonio (place) 5 — Texas city where a pit bull attack killed a one-year-old baby being watched by a 13-year-old babysitter.

Linkin Park (album) 5 — Early 2000s rap-metal band discussed as having avoided the cringe stigma associated with their genre and era, with music...

MLK (person) 5 — Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader whose assassination is argued to be America's most successful domestic psyop...

7th Heaven (film) 5 — Television sitcom referenced as an example of the naive, idealized reality where authority figures easily solve problems...

Roland Barthes (person) 5 — French literary theorist referenced in context of separating the art from the artist and the 'death of the author' conce...