PlasticPills Critical Theory & Philosophy Pill Pod 229 - Theory of the Gooner: Baudrillard vs Lacan
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Oct 31, 2025 Dive into the peculiar world of gooning, where prolonged edging and community rituals blur the lines of sexuality. Explore how COVID-19 sparked a rise in niche porn like PMVs, showcasing hyper-stimulating mashups. Unpack the impact of psychoanalysis on this culture, linking obsession and desire to a potential ego death. The discussion stretches from the community's display rituals to the influence of modern internet patterns, tracing a path from transparent desires to a craving for new mysteries. The hosts even touch on consent and the need for humane interactions amid the chaos.
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Gooning As Ritualized Ego‑Death
- Gooning is an extreme edging subculture aiming for ego-death through prolonged masturbation and curated porn.
- The practice repurposes sexual activity as a ritualized path to transcendence rather than interpersonal intimacy.
Sex Turned Into Instrumental Praxis
- Gooning inverts sex into praxis: sex becomes an instrumental ladder to a goon nirvana, not relational pleasure.
- This makes the culture profoundly anti-sexual or "post-sexual," stripping narrative and fantasy away.
Factor Pandemic Isolation Into Analysis
- Consider COVID lockdowns as a key catalyst: isolation and online time created fertile ground for gooning to spread.
- Account for pandemic-era social conditions when assessing youth internet subcultures.
