one million dollars 

One million dollars was once a fabulous fortune, but thanks to inflation could now buy you half of a crappy house in a place like Florida.

Dr. Evil thought a high ransom for the entire world was one million dollars. That still would've been low in his time, but illustrates what used to be a lot of money.

one million dollars by unoriginal_name33 April 9, 2017

small loan of one million dollars 

When Donald Trump wants to brag about his money he uses this phrase.

Donald Trump: My dad gave me a small loan of one million dollars...

small loan of one million dollars by DiamondCavern August 9, 2016

One Million Dollar Challenge Panopticon

A specific panopticon built around James Randi’s famous One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge (a prize for anyone who could demonstrate a paranormal ability under agreed scientific conditions). Even after the challenge officially ended, its logic persists as a disciplinary tool: believers are told “go claim the million dollars” as a rhetorical weapon, implying that if they cannot meet that impossible standard, their claims are worthless. The One Million Dollar Challenge Panopticon normalizes the demand for adversarial, public, and often humiliating “tests,” while ignoring that many phenomena are not replicable on demand or suited to lab conditions. Its gaze ensures that any discussion of the paranormal is immediately derailed by the million‑dollar taunt.

Example: “Every time someone mentioned telepathy in the forum, a chorus replied ‘where’s your million dollars?’—the One Million Dollar Challenge Panopticon, using a defunct prize to shut down conversation.”

One Million Dollar Challenge Panopticon by Abzugal April 6, 2026