Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Myers Briggs (concept) 3 — Pseudo-personality test system that is massively popular with introverted millennials and Gen Z, potentially viewed as a...

Kraftwerk (person) 3 — German electronic music band discussed for creating albums that serve as perfect soundtracks for different modes of tran...

The Pogues (person) 3 — Band with Cait O'Riordan as bassist mentioned in list of famous female bassists.

Jack Dorsey (person) 3 — Former Twitter CEO praised as the best of tech leaders for attempting to balance moderation and free speech

Avril Lavigne (person) 3 — Pop-rock musician whose concert was mentioned as a planned reunion point between cousins before one committed suicide.

Mahatma Gandhi (person) 3 — Indian independence leader quoted for his negative view of reporters and photographers

Bear Grylls (person) 3 — Host of Man vs Wild, defended for his entertaining approach to survival television despite controversies

Gandhi (person) 3 — Indian independence leader cited in a philosophical argument that even celebrated figures were subject to human vices an...

Christopher McCandless (person) 3 — Subject of Into the Wild who died in the Alaskan wilderness; his story elicits both criticism for being a privileged whi...

Jesse James (person) 3 — Historical figure exemplifying the masculine archetype of abandoning society to pursue dangerous freedom.

The Graduate (film) 3 — A 1960s classic film praised for its creative and particular sound design that situates viewers in a whole world of occu...

Lady Chatterley's Lover (book) 3 — A novel by D.H. Lawrence known for its graphic outdoor sex scenes that caused regret when watched with parents.

Jurassic World (film) 3 — 2015 sequel to Jurassic Park criticized for showing dinosaurs within the first 10 seconds, exemplifying the decline in p...

Lydia Tár (film) 3 — Fictional protagonist of the film Tár, an accomplished conductor whose pretension and artistic authority are central to ...

Burlington (place) 3 — Vermont city mentioned as home to Muddy Waters coffee shop, described as having great coffee, cedar smell, big cozy chai...

MLB (place) 3 — Major League Baseball, whose new jerseys are criticized as cheap knockoffs that symbolize the decline of American societ...

Eric Andre (person) 3 — Comedian whose video comedy peaked in the early to mid 2010s but who 'got too big to do his bits anymore'

Bobby Fischer (person) 3 — American chess grandmaster who won the world championship after Pal Benko gave up his spot in the 1970 Interzonal to all...

Robert Frost (person) 3 — Poet whose work about birch trees was read in a spring literature course, inspiring reflections on self-acceptance.

Casey Affleck (person) 3 — Actor who won an Oscar for his performance in Manchester by the Sea, praised as deserving more recognition than the awar...

Pizza Hut (place) 3 — Pizza chain criticized for outsourcing local store calls to Indian call centers through multiple prompts instead of allo...

Four Loko (concept) 3 — Caffeinated alcoholic beverage that was reformulated, discussed as example of government overreach restricting personal ...

IVF (concept) 3 — In vitro fertilization, fertility treatment discussed in context of infertility struggles and their emotional toll.

Meursault (person) 3 — Protagonist of Albert Camus' The Stranger, referenced by someone experiencing emotional numbness and anhedonia.

Portishead (album) 3 — Band/music played while cooking, associated with festive domestic moments

Harlem Shake (concept) 3 — A viral internet meme from the early 2010s that represents a period when the internet felt more promising and less fear-...

New Balance (concept) 3 — Shoe brand discussed in relation to its transformation from uncool old people shoes to trendy footwear

The Far Side (film) 3 — Comic strip by Gary Larson regarded as sacred by those who grew up with it, now subject to internet scrutiny and pedantr...

SALEM (album) 3 — Massachusetts tourist destination criticized as overcrowded with crystal shops and fortune tellers, described as an adul...

JFK assassination (concept) 3 — Historical event used by Trump in false conspiracy theory connecting Ted Cruz's father to the assassination of President...

Alexa Chung (person) 3 — British personality featured in Lisa Eldridge makeup videos, known for her charming reactions to makeup looks

X (place) 3 — Social media platform formerly known as Twitter, described as Twitter for people who voted Republican in the US election

Maison Margiela (person) 3 — Fashion house whose macaron scent release was subject to return policy abuse by perfume enthusiasts.

Sublime (album) 3 — Referenced as part of the 'Sublime/hemp necklace hippie shit' subculture that the author was obsessed with as a teenager...

WandaVision (film) 3 — A Marvel television show criticized for having a groan-worthy storyline outside the sitcom framework with stereotypical ...

Swann's Way (book) 3 — A novel by Marcel Proust, ranked as the author's top favorite novel in their personal ranking.

Journey to the End of the Night (book) 3 — A novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, ranked as the fourth favorite novel in the author's personal ranking.

Eli (person) 3 — Anna Khachiyan's boyfriend referenced in subreddit posts questioning when he would propose.

Babylon (place) 3 — A film by Damien Chazelle about 1920s Hollywood that was critically panned in this post for being overly loud and repeti...

NSA (place) 3 — The National Security Agency, discussed as part of the surveillance state that collects data but allegedly fails to prev...

Godzilla Minus One (film) 3 — Japanese Godzilla film praised as both a terrifying monster movie and phenomenal period drama about PTSD and survivor's ...

Current Affairs (place) 3 — Leftist magazine edited by Nathan Robinson that allegedly has zero professional standards after an editor threatened to ...

Mikhail Bulgakov (person) 3 — Author of The Master & Margarita, whose novel was not published until 26 years after his death.

The Master & Margarita (book) 3 — Novel by Mikhail Bulgakov read by the Red Scare Book Club exploring themes of state oppression and dignity

Misogynoir (concept) 3 — Academic term combining misogyny and noir to describe specific anti-black woman prejudice, compared to Latinx as overly ...

Hunter Schafer (person) 3 — Actress and trans figure mentioned positively in discussion of the subreddit's reception

Phil Elverum (person) 3 — A musician who created The Glow Pt 2 album, praised for making loneliness and longing palatable and for turning personal...

Sonny Angel (concept) 3 — Little kewpie-style figurines that look like cute cherubs, discussed as the focus of a Facebook group meetup where a wom...

Warby Parker (place) 3 — Eyewear brand used as shorthand for millennial media class aesthetics in critique of mainstream journalists covering edg...

Blogspot (place) 3 — Older blogging platform praised for allowing more individuality and personal web design compared to modern platforms lik...