Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Atlas Shrugged (book) 4 — A 500,000-word novel by Ayn Rand about steel foundries that the reader abandoned two-thirds through

Rolling Stones (album) 4 — Music group whose music video prompted a user's consideration of pursuing Sydney Sweeney romantically.

Jonathan Glazer (person) 4 — Filmmaker whose Oscars speech received support from Jewish creatives in an open letter, with only Joel Coen of the Coen ...

Big Bang Theory (film) 4 — Network sitcom about highly intelligent but socially awkward characters, criticized as formulaic 'smart guy' television

Wordle (concept) 4 — A word puzzle game referenced in the context of stalking someone's family on social media to compete with their father

Libertarianism (concept) 4 — A political philosophy emphasizing individual liberty and free markets, discussed as having dramatically declined in rel...

Nardwuar (person) 4 — A media personality famous for his investigative interviewing and sleuthing work, known for uncovering obscure details a...

Rocky Horror Picture Show (film) 4 — A cult film with interactive screenings where audiences dress up, actors perform alongside the movie, and attendees shou...

Rocky (film) 4 — Boxing film referenced when comparing the temp agency woman's role in preparing the author for an interview to Mickey tr...

Inside Llewyn Davis (film) 4 — A Coen Brothers film praised as one of their best works exploring themes of doubt and spirituality

Neil Postman (person) 4 — Media theorist and cultural critic whose speech 'Informing Ourselves to Death' discussed the social implications of comp...

Rwanda (place) 4 — African country referenced in Bobbi Lurie's poem for having genocide that killed people faster than the Holocaust.

The Zone of Interest (film) 4 — Film referenced in a comparison about browsing the redscarepod subreddit while surrounded by the rest of Reddit's annoyi...

Colin Jost (person) 4 — Ivy League educated comedian representing the enviable path of wealthy, educated funny guys

Rachel Maddow (person) 4 — MSNBC host whose reporting is consumed by "Obama boomers" who refuse to believe negative reports about Biden's mental de...

Honolulu (place) 4 — Hawaiian city where tattoo artist Rosie Camanga worked from 1944-1991, tattooing GIs during WWII

Malibu (concept) 4 — A coconut rum brand mentioned as one of the limited rum options at bars, associated with kitschy sweet drinks.

Adrien Brody (person) 4 — Actor criticized online for throwing gum at his girlfriend, which was interpreted by some as abusive behavior despite be...

Naomi Fry (person) 4 — Writer identified as an original friend of the Red Scare podcast whose association marks a shift in the subreddit

Hamlet (book) 4 — Shakespeare play that contains the line 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark' used to describe minor setbacks.

Vatican City (place) 4 — Referenced satirically as a 'protestant Vatican city' in discussion of fears about Trump creating a theocracy.

Fentanyl (concept) 4 — Synthetic opioid discussed as causing more deaths than OxyContin, allegedly as a result of CDC restrictions on prescript...

Eddington (film) 4 — Film by director Ari Aster criticized by audiences for being misinterpreted as a 'both sides are bad' movie when it actu...

The Doors (album) 4 — Iconic rock band that is described as slowly losing relevance with the general public.

American Eagle (place) 4 — A clothing retailer predicted to engage in outrage marketing tactics to gain free advertising from presidential social m...

Naked Gun (film) 4 — Comedy film series referenced as a comparison for an unintentionally funny scene in Blonde where Ana De Armas runs into ...

Intellectual Dark Web (concept) 4 — A network of public intellectuals and podcasters associated with discussing controversial topics outside mainstream disc...

Generation Kill (film) 4 — A miniseries about the Iraq War, described as one of the few notable pieces of media to emerge from 20 years of war in A...

Elizabeth Bruenig (person) 4 — Writer and public figure noted for her boob job, unusual marriage, and neighbors who bought her the house next door to b...

Type O Negative (person) 4 — Band that was one of the last messages sent by a deceased father and listened to together, with specific reference to so...

The Good Place (film) 4 — NBC sitcom criticized as a formulaic show with stock characters espousing Philosophy 101, representing Mike Schur's limo...

Sarasota (place) 4 — Florida city that hadn't been hit by a major hurricane in 100 years, discussed in context of resilience after a storm.

David Duchovny (person) 4 — Actor from The X-Files mentioned as needing protection in a satirical conspiracy theory about Trump killing artistic Dav...

Seneca (person) 4 — Stoic philosopher praised for life-changing wisdom in his Letters, despite associations with 'stoic-bro youtube' culture...

Jay Leno (person) 4 — Former late night host who retired to pursue his passion for cars, praised for having an encyclopedic knowledge and impr...

Loveless (album) 4 — My Bloody Valentine's acclaimed shoegaze album listened to on repeat by newly converted fan

Estonia (place) 4 — Baltic country referenced in discussion about Russian cuisine and temporary permission for anti-Russian sentiment.

Skid Row (place) 4 — Notorious area of Los Angeles cited as an example of actual rough places in America that sheltered suburbanites haven't ...

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) (concept) 4 — Therapeutic modality criticized as a scam involving worksheets and thought diaries that prepares people for capitalist d...

Wales (place) 4 — A country in the UK described as underrated and the least talked about, with a history of miners and cultural traditions...

Shinzo Abe (person) 4 — Former Japanese Prime Minister who was assassinated and subsequently faced posthumous criticism, described as resembling...

Dr. Seuss (person) 4 — Children's book author whose handful of fairly obscure titles were removed from publication as part of cancel culture di...

Rishi Sunak (person) 4 — British Prime Minister of South Asian descent, discussed as part of the remarkable political success of British Indians ...

Hamburg (place) 4 — German city criticized as one of the worst in the country for feeling like a factory and bank combined, representing the...

Orthodox Christianity (concept) 4 — Religious tradition witnessed by the poster in Georgia where believers kissed the cross in tears, demonstrating profound...

LessWrong (place) 4 — Online community and website focused on rationality, artificial intelligence safety, and related topics, mentioned as pa...

Gagosian (place) 4 — Art gallery quoted in description of Michael Heizer's work on the sublime

The Banshees of Inisherin (film) 4 — A film referenced in a humorous anecdote about a man who repeatedly says 'roll that beautiful bean footage' before start...

DSM (concept) 4 — The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, critiqued for its role in the medicalization and flattening o...

Pontius Pilate (person) 4 — Biblical figure used as metaphor for tow trucks washing their hands of responsibility while cars are taken to be 'crucif...