Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Moloch (concept) 3 — An ancient deity invoked in Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl' as a symbol of industrial capitalism, mechanization, and soulless mo...

LiveLeak (place) 3 — Website known for hosting graphic violent content referenced in discussion of desensitization to violence

Narendra Modi (person) 3 — Charismatic Indian politician who lost his majority in India in 2024 due to falling living standards, illustrating how e...

Verizon (place) 3 — Telecommunications company criticized for employing customer service representatives with limited English language skill...

Don Quixote (book) 3 — Classic novel by Cervantes cited as having almost singlehandedly ended the cultural plague of chivalric romance, held up...

AV Club (concept) 3 — Entertainment news and review site mentioned as having formerly provided non-woke cultural coverage

Persia (place) 3 — Ancient civilization that modern Iranians glorify despite having inherited little culturally from it due to Islamic conv...

Hagia Sophia (place) 3 — Byzantine cathedral used as comparison to mock the self-importance of SNL creators who act like they're building histori...

Macy's (place) 3 — American department store chain with steeply discounted merchandise and suspicious employees in declining malls

AIDS Crisis (concept) 3 — Historical epidemic that led to the fight for marriage equality due to gay partners being denied hospital visitation and...

Nestle (place) 3 — Food company referenced in context of creating hyper-palatable processed foods that could override appetite suppressants...

Cornell (place) 3 — Cornell University, mentioned as one of the elite schools whose graduates the author competed against in the NYC job mar...

America Ferrera (person) 3 — Actress in Barbie who delivers a feminist speech that is described as hamfisted and forgettable compared to other parts ...

r/theadamfriedlandshow (place) 3 — Reddit community where Cumtown refugees could migrate but choose not to, suggesting they prefer r/redscarepod.

Eric Clapton (person) 3 — British rock guitarist discussed in context of a pretentious interview where he refused to discuss Jimi Hendrix's music ...

Edward Hopper (person) 3 — American realist painter whose underrated works are showcased including Approaching a City, Cape Cod Evening, and Office...

Mongolia (place) 3 — Country criticized by Redditors for not arresting Putin despite ICC warrant, defended as a dependent third-world nation ...

Lex Friedman (person) 3 — Podcaster and MIT lecturer criticized for not understanding basic concepts during his interview with political theorist ...

Dr. Dre (person) 3 — Rapper mentioned alongside Will Smith as example of hip-hop that white Redditors claim to have listened to prove their l...

Juul (concept) 3 — E-cigarette product described as having 'cyborgian aesthetics' with pods that 'catch the light like jewels,' creating a ...

Veganism (concept) 3 — A lifestyle that avoids animal products, discussed as logically and morally correct but practically difficult to fully a...

Strava (place) 3 — Fitness tracking app mentioned alongside run clubs as obnoxious but net positive for outdoor socialization

All The Things She Said (album) 3 — A song that echoed through the house party in a satirical post about Red Scare podcast fans.

Sean Penn (person) 3 — Actor referenced for his well-known preference for Black women in a comparison about personal attraction to specific phy...

Universal Studios (place) 3 — Film studio where Steven Spielberg gained entry and became an apprentice through informal means

DeepSeek (concept) 3 — Chinese AI technology that prompted a strong reaction from American AI labs, cited as a turning point in recognizing Chi...

Tommy Lee Jones (person) 3 — Actor whose world-weary character in No Country for Old Men represents feeling out of touch with contemporary culture.

World Trade Center (place) 3 — The site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, referenced in a satirical post about Saddam Hussein and WMDs.

Private Equity (concept) 3 — Investment model criticized for enshittifying institutions by buying and degrading once-good hotels and businesses to fl...

rs_x (place) 3 — Red Scare-related subreddit criticized for being embarrassing, filled with people posting selfies to prove coolness to s...

Megyn Kelly (person) 3 — Media personality who interviewed Anna and Dasha, compared to a friend's mom trying to be relatable by referencing topic...

Slipknot (album) 3 — Nu-metal band representing entry-level metal taste that metalheads eventually return to appreciating

Raphael (person) 3 — Renaissance artist whose Madonna paintings are compared to Hooters girls as paragons of womanly virtue by a user addicte...

Monica Bellucci (person) 3 — Actress contrasted with Sydney Sweeney as a different type of female beauty standard

Ali Wong (person) 3 — Comedian and actress featured in the A24 show Beef, whose styling in the show was criticized by one viewer

Amy Poehler (person) 3 — Comedic actress cited as example of woman who is funny in scripted comedy but not stand-up

Terry Crews (person) 3 — Former NFL player and actor who was publicly groped at an event and later ostracized for speaking out about sexual assau...

Wingstop (place) 3 — Chicken wing restaurant chain mentioned alongside SweetGreen as representing contradictory aspirational consumption patt...

Cheesecake Factory (place) 3 — American restaurant chain praised for its bold and distinctive original design vision, contrasted with modern generic ae...

Robert Eggers (person) 3 — Film director whose work is described as a tier below normie but still too artistic for mainstream audiences

Groyper (concept) 3 — A far-right online movement associated with white nationalist and racist online accounts, typically featuring Greco-Roma...

Tulpas (concept) 3 — Spiritual entities that the poster claims are created through doomscrolling meditation, harvesting energy from phone use...

LMFAO (album) 3 — Electronic dance music duo known for party anthems, praised ironically for using family connections and lack of musical ...

r/jewish (place) 3 — A subreddit criticized for hypocrisy and entitlement in labeling pro-Palestine content as antisemitism while supporting ...

Bluey (film) 3 — A children's animated television show used as an example of safe, passive entertainment that contrasts with challenging ...

Civil Rights Act (concept) 3 — Landmark legislation from the 1960s cited as an example of consequential activism that contrasts with ineffective modern...

Oman (place) 3 — A country mentioned as receiving more attention in North American discourse than Indonesia or Bangladesh due to internet...

Cards Against Humanity (film) 3 — Party card game referenced as an unbearably terrible experience when played with business school graduates

Replication Crisis (concept) 3 — The ongoing methodological crisis in science where many scientific studies are difficult or impossible to replicate, cal...

Meghan Trainor (person) 3 — Pop musician whose music style is compared to Lizzo's as a point of criticism.