Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Criterion (concept) 17 — A streaming service offering classic and contemporary films with a free two-week trial, where The Killing of a Chinese B...

Romania (place) 17 — A country described as having a weird cultural mix of Slavic, Italian, and Balkan influences with Orthodox spirituality ...

Nirvana (album) 17 — A grunge band that inspired intense teenage fandom, particularly on Tumblr in 2013, with members including Kurt Cobain a...

Quentin Tarantino (person) 17 — Acclaimed film director with 30+ year career criticized for insulting Paul Dano, described as having contrarian opinions...

Elliott Smith (person) 17 — Musician whose song 'Waltz #2' is praised for containing some of the greatest lyrics of all time, recommended as an intr...

Wes Anderson (person) 17 — Film director with a distinctive visual style that was widely imitated, discussed both positively for maintaining his un...

Gavin Newsom (person) 17 — California politician predicted to lose 2028 Democratic nomination due to his association with California homelessness a...

Plato (person) 17 — Ancient philosopher referenced mockingly when describing BookTok readers treating dark romance sex scenes as if they had...

King of the Hill (film) 17 — Animated TV show whose subreddit features weekly threads asking about Hank Hill's worst parenting decisions, which users...

Indonesia (place) 17 — One of the most populated countries in the world, with a large economy and rich history, discussed as being under-discus...

Bruce Springsteen (person) 17 — Musician whose core discography from E Street Shuffle to Born In the USA deals with the failure of the American Dream, d...

The Matrix (film) 17 — Film praised for its sincere commitment to being cool, with its edgy aesthetic, gay outfits, and self-serious atmosphere...

DNC (concept) 17 — The Democratic National Committee, discussed as part of the American resistance to being told what to do, with Trump's e...

Tokyo (place) 17 — Japanese capital city discussed for its urban design, lighting, variety of shops, public transportation, and aesthetic q...

Moscow (place) 17 — Russian capital city predicted to be the center of a smaller Russian State that would emerge from the potential fragment...

Taiwan (place) 17 — East Asian country praised for dense walkable cities, amazing street food, safety, and social cohesion but criticized fo...

Fiona Apple (person) 17 — Musician known for her controversial 'this world is bullshit' speech at the 1997 VMAs that the poster wishes Red Scare c...

Michel Foucault (person) 17 — French philosopher who used Bentham's Panopticon as a metaphor for surveillance and social control, though the poster ad...

Switzerland (place) 16 — Referenced in a conspiracy theory about Swiss neutrality and control, suggesting they profit from wars.

The Catcher in the Rye (book) 16 — A novel by J.D. Salinger discussed in the context of critiquing misreadings of the protagonist Holden Caulfield's charac...

Harry Potter (book) 16 — A popular fantasy book series mentioned as the only book a group of 8th-9th graders could name when asked about their re...

Instagram (place) 16 — Social media platform discussed as a space where men following models/pornstars is seen as a major dating red flag.

ChatGPT (concept) 16 — AI text generation tool described as useful for document creation but lacking character and essentially functioning as a...

Afghanistan (place) 16 — Referenced in context of the Afghanistan War withdrawal as a major news story competing for attention in short news cycl...

Vincent Gallo (person) 16 — Actor and filmmaker known for intense behavior, including a party anecdote where he correctly identified werewolves in a...

J.D. Vance (person) 16 — A Thiel-backed political candidate mentioned in discussions about American conservatism's uncomfortable relationship wit...

Jimmy Carter (person) 16 — Former U.S. president who claimed in a GQ interview to have used a psychic with the CIA to locate a downed plane in the ...

Portugal (place) 16 — European country noted in the discussion for having an increasing number of overweight children, compared to Tennessee i...

Tom Cruise (person) 16 — Actor praised for his longevity, skill acquisition, and success with the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun franchises desp...

WhatsApp (concept) 16 — Messaging platform criticized for enabling voice message communication, which is viewed as having zero perks and infinit...

Ryan Gosling (person) 16 — An actor whom a woman at a film festival considered too ugly to watch in movies, representing an extreme standard of att...

Alaska (place) 16 — U.S. state described as the poster's favorite place in the world, where they plan to work at a gift shop and write durin...

Greta Gerwig (person) 16 — Film director and actress associated with mumblecore films and mentioned in connection with potential return to Obama-er...

MSNBC (place) 16 — Cable news network frequently watched by Democratic-leaning viewers, referenced as the primary media consumption of a li...

Zionism (concept) 16 — Political ideology supporting a Jewish state in Israel, discussed as particularly strange when held by non-Israeli/non-J...

Adam Sandler (person) 16 — A comedian and actor whose films are characterized as featuring despicable perverted lowlife characters, contrasted with...

World War II (concept) 16 — Global conflict discussed in terms of how it's depicted differently in American/British films versus Soviet cinema, part...

Philippines (place) 16 — Country where American cockfighters can watch fights online, representing the digital migration of a dying rural America...

Sydney (place) 16 — Australian city where 50% of the population was born overseas and housing prices exceed Manhattan, discussed in context ...

Elizabeth Warren (person) 16 — Presidential candidate associated with the bizarre campaign slogan "Warren doesn't owe you anything" during the 2020 Dem...

Don Draper (person) 16 — Protagonist of Mad Men whose famous dismissive quote 'I don't think about you at all' is widely misunderstood as a power...

Las Vegas (place) 16 — Nevada city historically known as 'Sin City' that served as a designated area for American vices like gambling and prost...

FDS (place) 16 — Female Dating Strategy, a dating advice framework that encourages women to 'vet' men and maintain distance, criticized b...

Brian Wilson (person) 16 — Beach Boys member and musician described as the best of all time, known for paranoid behavior including staying in bed f...

Orson Welles (person) 16 — Filmmaker whose adaptation of The Trial captured the spatial contrast between modern corporate life and baroque legal st...

Andrew Cuomo (person) 16 — Former New York governor referred to as 'Daddy Cuomo,' reflecting on a time when Democrats seemed like 'the good guys' b...

Better Call Saul (film) 16 — A television series praised for its emotional depth and character development, exploring themes of choice, morality, and...

Louis CK (person) 16 — Comedian mentioned alongside Dave Chappelle as an example of a controversial figure whose work can be appreciated despit...

Prince (person) 16 — Musician who released a major album in 1984 that appealed to the artsier new wave and black audience while crossing into...

Leo Tolstoy (person) 16 — Russian novelist whose writing style is analyzed through a hockey metaphor as executing every passage at twice the level...