Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

Mark Zuckerberg (person) 46 — Facebook founder accused of secretly buying 1,600 acres in Hawaii to build a self-sustaining experimental city and bunke...

JD Vance (person) 46 — Political figure whose picture with a negative caption represents the transformation of the Red Scare subreddit into gen...

Hamas (concept) 45 — Palestinian organization referenced in discussion of Zionist talking points that deflect criticism about violence agains...

Tucker Carlson (person) 45 — A conservative commentator whose critiques are compared to those of leftist figures like Aimee Terese, suggesting ideolo...

Starbucks (place) 45 — A coffee chain whose introduction of mobile ordering fundamentally shifted the in-store experience, leading to the emerg...

Cormac McCarthy (person) 45 — Contemporary American author described as a favorite for works like Blood Meridian, The Road, and All the Pretty Horses,...

Seinfeld (film) 44 — TV show referenced in a hypothetical 2025 episode about George avoiding phones and Jerry analyzing Facebook statuses.

Alex Jones (person) 44 — Controversial media personality whose interview with Dasha sparked discussion about potential career impacts, with the c...

Charlie Kirk (person) 43 — American conservative political activist and commentator mentioned in context of right-wing politics affecting professio...

Trans activism (concept) 43 — Cultural movement around transgender rights and acceptance, discussed critically in relation to personal beliefs and cul...

Harvard (place) 43 — Prestigious university where a poster's uncle attended after working in art museums and becoming an art expert, before b...

Fyodor Dostoevsky (person) 43 — Russian novelist discussed in the context of understanding Russian cultural mentality, with Crime and Punishment and The...

Michel Houellebecq (person) 43 — French novelist heavily influenced by Schopenhauer whose work is often misread through a Marxist lens about neoliberalis...

DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) (concept) 42 — A concept related to workplace diversity initiatives, referenced in context of a company making diversity-focused crayon...

CNN (place) 42 — News network mentioned as venue for Biden debate and potential accusations of misogynoir against Kamala Harris

Ireland (place) 42 — Country referenced in a post about a friend who has lost his original sense of humor and now only makes jokes about thin...

David Foster Wallace (person) 42 — Writer who stated he didn't own a TV because he knew he would get addicted to channel flipping, used as an example of ex...

Charli XCX (person) 42 — Pop musician whose new album is criticized as boring despite media hype, contrasted with her earlier albums Pop 2 and Ho...

2012 (film) 41 — Year referenced as the beginning of a period when internet users went through their phase of discovering hidden truths a...

Target (place) 41 — Retail chain store referenced as a parking lot location where the author is drinking after relapsing from sobriety follo...

Funko Pop (concept) 41 — Collectible figurines that a dating prospect owns, which the poster views as indicating incompatibility regarding politi...

United Kingdom (place) 41 — Country discussed as experiencing social tension, economic crisis, and nationalist sentiment with Union flags appearing ...

Ted Kaczynski (person) 41 — The Unabomber, referenced for his manifesto's argument that corrupt authoritarian states are fun to live under because b...

Ben Shapiro (person) 41 — Political commentator associated with debate culture that has made certain men unable to have normal conversations witho...

2008 Financial Crisis (concept) 40 — Economic collapse that led to home foreclosures and bankruptcy, referenced in connection with a woman who later died hom...

Pitchfork (place) 40 — Music publication that has evolved from championing experimental bands to favoring coffee shop-friendly indie music, rec...

Iraq (place) 40 — Country whose true war death count was provided by The Lancet and delayed until global acknowledgment, cited as parallel...

Camille Paglia (person) 40 — Writer and critic known for her coke-fueled rants during interviews, contrasted favorably with Fran Lebowitz for having ...

OCD (concept) 39 — Obsessive-compulsive disorder discussed in context of mental health misdiagnosis and various manifestations including mo...

Snapchat (place) 39 — Social media platform whose explore page is questioned as potentially being the worst creation of the last decade.

Walmart (place) 39 — Retail chain described as 'the canary in the coal mine for the decay of American urban life' based on employee observati...

Boston (place) 39 — City that has undergone extreme gentrification, transforming from a blue collar working class town into an expensive tec...

Spain (place) 39 — European country referenced for having a standard of 35 drinks per week with an average lifespan of 82, and as a source ...

Colonialism (concept) 38 — The policy or practice of acquiring political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting i...

Drake (person) 38 — Canadian rapper criticized in a post as 'bad music for dull people' with the author condemning posters who defend him as...

Discord (place) 38 — A chat application criticized for being the default platform for organizing internet communities, described dismissively...

Girls (film) 38 — HBO television series about insufferable characters set in Brooklyn, remembered by a viewer who was obsessed with Brookl...

Ghislaine Maxwell (person) 38 — Wealthy and well-connected associate of Jeffrey Epstein whose trial began in November 2021, discussed in context of why ...

Karl Marx (person) 37 — German philosopher and economist, author of Das Kapital, referenced in context of stereotypical leftist Brooklyn activis...

Twin Peaks (film) 37 — David Lynch's 90s hit TV show that uses post-war American imagery in a patriotic/sympathetic way and convinced the viewe...

England (place) 37 — Referenced by Žižek as representing 'utilitarian pragmatism' and 'English liberalism' in his analysis of toilet design a...

Blood Meridian (book) 37 — Novel by Cormac McCarthy discussed in the context of the subreddit's book club, noted for its deliberately esoteric and ...

2001 (film) 36 — Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi film cited as example of psychological science fiction interrogating humanity's relationship wi...

Epstein birthday book (book) 36 — A controversial book containing cryptic innuendo and allusions to degeneracy involving rich, famous, and powerful people...

Manhattan (place) 36 — New York City borough where a woman lived who had a long-distance relationship with someone from Vancouver that ended du...

Lena Dunham (person) 36 — Writer, director, and creator of HBO's Girls, discussed as having created quality professional work despite being cancel...

Philadelphia (place) 36 — City where a Red Scare listener is seeking friends, particularly in the West Philly neighborhood, describing the local s...

Mexico (place) 36 — A country experiencing protests allegedly styled as Gen Z movements but possibly orchestrated as a color revolution agai...

Dune (film) 35 — A classic fantasy/science fiction book the author is reading as part of their media diet to stay disconnected from curre...

Stavros Halkias (person) 35 — Comedian discussed as being perceived as "one of the good ones" among sensitive comedians despite having a low bar for p...