Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

J.D. Salinger (person) 3 — Author whose unpublished books are the subject of frustration about why they are taking so long to be released despite b...

Job (person) 3 — Biblical figure referenced as comparison for experiencing devastating personal losses including marriage, parents, and c...

Hoobastank (album) 3 — Rock band referenced as what the subreddit's users were actually listening to in 2002 rather than DMX.

Yahya Sinwar (person) 3 — Hamas leader reported killed in Israeli military operation, with images circulating of his death.

Neil Patrick Harris (person) 3 — An actor criticized for being unconvincing as a straight ladies' man in How I Met Your Mother despite the role running f...

Napoleon Dynamite (film) 3 — A low-budget comedy praised for its excellent cinematography, absurd atmosphere with ambiguous time period setting, and ...

Effective Altruism (concept) 3 — A philosophical and social movement that uses evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to benefit oth...

Seth Meyers (person) 3 — A TV host whose political commentary is consumed by reality TV-obsessed American roommates to inform their opinions.

David Goggins (person) 3 — Motivational figure known for "Who's gonna carry the boats" philosophy, used as example of grindset culture that true Ty...

Dario Argento (person) 3 — Italian giallo film director known for distinctive use of pastel lighting and architectural atmosphere.

Marquis de Sade (person) 3 — French libertine philosopher and writer discussed by Dworkin as articulating male sexual violence and exploitation of wo...

Gang of Four (concept) 3 — Chinese political faction during the Cultural Revolution featured in Adam Curtis's documentary, discussed by a Chinese c...

Tiananmen Square (place) 3 — A location in China referenced in memes that Redditors spam alongside Winnie the Pooh references, believing it 'legitima...

Qing dynasty (concept) 3 — Chinese imperial dynasty whose top-ranking zhuanguan officials had to memorize classics and compose poetry in classical ...

Finasteride (concept) 3 — A pharmaceutical drug used to prevent hair loss that inhibits DHT and has side effects including reduced sex drive and e...

Helicopter Parenting (concept) 3 — A parenting style involving excessive monitoring of children, now manifested through location tracking technology that h...

Bam Margera (person) 3 — A Z-list celebrity who made goo goo noises at an infant and pinched their cheeks while inebriated at a local sports bar.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (book) 3 — David Foster Wallace short story collection used as a metaphor for the experience of using the dating app Hinge.

Virginia Giuffre (person) 3 — Epstein victim who resigned herself to a life of abuse from a young age and received an out of court settlement

Hemingway (person) 3 — Author referenced as hypothetically becoming a masculinity grifter who exaggerated Iraq war experience

Adam (person) 3 — Biblical figure mentioned in Genesis discussion about gender dynamics and the concept of 'helpmate' as beneficial advers...

hikikomori (concept) 3 — Japanese phenomenon of social withdrawal mentioned in discussion of how cheap gig labor enables social atomization.

Janelle Monae (person) 3 — Musician discussed in a satirical post about misogynoir and biphobia in the culture industry, referred to as a 'queerbai...

Cenk Uygur (person) 3 — Progressive political commentator compared to Charlie Kirk as a left-wing equivalent with limited intellectual contribut...

Eli Keszler (person) 3 — Partner of Anna Khachiyan with whom she has children but does not live with, raising questions about their unconventiona...

Flint, Michigan (place) 3 — City in Michigan known for its water crisis involving lead contamination, referenced as an exception to the general avai...

Frank Grimes (person) 3 — Character from The Simpsons referenced as embodiment of resentment toward those who succeed without struggle, used to ex...

Taylor Sheridan (person) 3 — Screenwriter and director who transitioned from acclaimed films like Sicario to creating poorly-received television.

Florida State (place) 3 — University mentioned as capable of doing equally valuable research as Harvard, with researchers potentially happier ther...

Baby Reindeer (film) 3 — A TV series referenced for having a creator with a self-absorbed creative personality but to whom something interesting ...

The Clash (album) 3 — Band whose remastered London Calling album was purchased by a 16-year-old who was then mocked by a record store cashier ...

Midjourney (concept) 3 — AI image generation tool criticized for producing ugly prompt-generated content used in promotional materials by local b...

Yale Law School (place) 3 — Prestigious law school referenced as JD Vance's alma mater in discussion of his political understanding.

NIMBY (concept) 3 — The 'Not In My Back Yard' attitude discussed in relation to section 8 housing and multi-family housing creating neighbor...

Right Wing Women (book) 3 — Book by Andrea Dworkin analyzing why conservative women support patriarchal systems as a survival strategy in a dangerou...

Macklemore (person) 3 — Rapper referenced in a satirical post playing on his song lyrics in relation to the Red Scare podcast.

Hermès (concept) 3 — Luxury fashion brand referenced in context of a K-hole experience where the poster felt like they were melting into an H...

Me Too (concept) 3 — A social movement against sexual harassment and assault compared to communist-era obsession in the US, criticized for cr...

Kim Gordon (person) 3 — Bassist for Sonic Youth featured in list of famous female bassists in music.

Porsche (concept) 3 — German automotive company mentioned as an example of a business co-owned by a Jew who was forced out during aryanisation...

Jacob Savage (person) 3 — Writer who authored essays on discrimination against young white men in elite professions during the DEI era, including ...

Gavin McInnes (person) 3 — Former king of New York hipsters described as extremely funny and charismatic who became a right-wing figure with dimini...

TV Tropes (place) 3 — Website that catalogs storytelling conventions, mentioned as marking "there are no women on the internet" as a discredit...

Shameless (film) 3 — An American television series that is reported to be extremely popular in China despite the internet firewall.

Beijing (place) 3 — Chinese capital city that a poster wanted to move to but heard is 'boring now' when considering cities to teach in China...

Guangzhou (place) 3 — Major Chinese city where business-type foreigners congregate, not recommended for Red Scare listeners.

Olive Garden (place) 3 — Chain Italian restaurant whose breadsticks are one of the few foods eaten by a child with an extremely limited diet.

XTC (album) 3 — A band whose song 'Senses Working Overtime' is praised for having one of the most ingenious and infectious choruses in p...

The Kinks (album) 3 — British band from the 1960s-70s era considered underrated relative to contemporaries like The Beatles, The Stones, The W...

They Live (film) 3 — A film referenced in a comparison about being able to spot adults who weren't exposed to enough germs as children in a c...