Red Scare Canon — Cultural References from the Subreddit

South Park (film) 35 — Animated show that shaped older millennial men into right-libertarian know-it-alls characterized by smugness, cynicism a...

NPR (place) 35 — National Public Radio, criticized for downplaying the extent of conspiracy theories in Latino communities during COVID a...

Chappell Roan (person) 35 — Pop artist described as a talented songwriter with a white trashy queer aesthetic who struggles with interviews and is c...

Euphoria (film) 35 — A television show criticized for curating and inventing teen life instead of describing it, lacking the banality and abs...

Adderall (concept) 35 — ADHD medication discussed in the context of over-prescription, with the author noting the irony of receiving lengthy, sp...

Mary Shelley (person) 35 — Author of Frankenstein, whose carefully chosen literary references for the creature (especially Paradise Lost) are discu...

Netherlands (place) 34 — Country mentioned as the location of a stalker who evaded legal consequences for harassment due to jurisdictional issues...

George Floyd (person) 34 — Person whose death sparked protests mentioned in multiple posts about 2020 demonstrations and whose daughter received Di...

Syria (place) 34 — Country referenced in a story where a mother showed her 10-year-old uncensored pictures of children blown up by landmine...

Pakistan (place) 34 — Country discussed for its extreme urban-rural divide in human development, with cities comparable to European nations an...

Phoebe Bridgers (person) 34 — Musician described as sinister and narcissistic for accusing her ex-partner and collaborator Chris Nelson of murder, wit...

AOC (person) 34 — Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who reportedly cried after changing her vote on Israel funding from 'n...

Britney Spears (person) 34 — Pop star discussed in relation to her mental health struggles and conservatorship issues, with concerns about her wellbe...

Ozempic (concept) 34 — A pharmaceutical drug used for weight loss, criticized for not addressing underlying issues with obesogenic and addictiv...

2022 (concept) 33 — Referenced as a temporal marker for a perceived shift in atmosphere or cultural feeling.

SNL (film) 33 — Comedy show referenced as an example of politicians 'jumping the shark' by appearing on entertainment platforms, compare...

2008 (concept) 32 — Year when the poster experienced true catharsis seeing Doctor Atomic opera, contrasted with their reaction to Oppenheime...

2010 (concept) 32 — Referenced as the decade when shitlib dogma about realistic mental illness depictions in media emerged.

Pennsylvania (place) 32 — State mentioned by poster as example of word they misspelled, highlighting educational class differences.

Chicago (place) 32 — A city mentioned in relation to the closure of Berlin nightclub, described as having restrictive liquor licensing laws.

Aimee Terese (person) 32 — Figure in the Red Scare community whose name is used as an example of basic knowledge that users should have, with askin...

Ronald Reagan (person) 32 — A president criticized as functionally a murderer for structuring the economy to eliminate working class jobs while stri...

CIA (concept) 32 — The Central Intelligence Agency, discussed as being viewed positively by Democrats in recent years as part of a broader ...

Patrick Bateman (person) 31 — Fictional character from American Psycho who young men claiming to be 'sigma males' misunderstand by making their person...

Berlin (place) 31 — German city described as awful with too many rules, requiring reservations for everything, with rude autistic people, sp...

Adam Curtis (person) 31 — A documentary filmmaker whose work, including The Power of Nightmares, is described as compelling but potentially dishon...

Radiohead (album) 31 — British rock band described as 'annoying theatre kid's favorite band' but acknowledged as being 'as great as advertised'...

Miami (place) 31 — A city criticized as a hub for crypto scammers and AI peddlers, featuring Bored Apes graffiti, and where an independent ...

Franz Kafka (person) 31 — Author whose short story 'An Imperial Message' is shared in full on the subreddit, depicting a messenger's futile journe...

Dimes Square (place) 31 — A downtown Manhattan cultural scene and movement associated with the post-COVID NYC arts and nightlife scene that allege...

Bill Clinton (person) 30 — A former U.S. president identified as the starting point of celebrity-focused politics in America, particularly through ...

Sabrina Carpenter (person) 30 — Pop musician criticized for over-sexualization in performances, including simulating sex acts on stage while fans claim ...

David Bowie (person) 30 — Musician whose song 'Young Americans' is praised for its instrumentation, lyrics about 70s youth disillusionment, and ex...

Mark Fisher (person) 30 — Cultural theorist who theorized cultural stagnation and the relationship between welfare states and avant-garde culture,...

American Psycho (film) 30 — Satirical film about toxic masculinity that allegedly right-wingers miss the point of, though the post argues the satire...

Martin Scorsese (person) 30 — Acclaimed film director whose Killers of the Flower Moon is discussed as one of his best-ever films despite featuring an...

Norm Macdonald (person) 30 — Comedian known for posing as the dumbest man in the room while being the smartest, with quick wit and humor that leaves ...

Caroline Calloway (person) 30 — Internet personality and writer whose trajectory is described as tragic, with her apartment in disarray, apparent alcoho...

Asperger's (concept) 29 — Former psychiatric diagnosis that was merged into the autism spectrum, discussed as a distinct condition that should be ...

Turkey (place) 29 — Home country of a college roommate whose conservative views and nationalist positions regarding historical genocide deni...

Silicon Valley (place) 29 — Tech hub in California used as an example of expensive California living that's actually comparable to expensive areas i...

New Jersey (place) 29 — A state where a sex worker traveled to meet a client and got lost, with the narrative concluding with advice to 'never t...

Substack (place) 29 — Newsletter platform discussed in the context of leftist and liberal political writing, with debate over whether educated...

Timothée Chalamet (person) 29 — Actor criticized as representing artsy thin men who embody traits (cigarette smoking, black coffee drinking, emotional) ...

DSA (concept) 29 — Democratic Socialists of America, criticized as college kids using socialism to subsidize bourgeois lifestyles rather th...

Yukio Mishima (person) 29 — Japanese ultranationalist, far-right author whose work is paradoxically beloved by many leftists despite his fascist pol...

The Office (film) 28 — Referenced for its famous CPR training scene set to 'Stayin' Alive' that became crucial knowledge during a real cardiac ...

IDF (concept) 28 — Israeli Defense Forces that lured American journalists to a Palestinian village under false pretenses and retreated when...

Scotland (place) 28 — A country that passed a new hate crime bill making it illegal to "stir up hatred" based on various protected characteris...

Kurt Cobain (person) 28 — Nirvana frontman who is imagined as someone who would have become insufferable if alive, potentially flip-flopping betwe...