Slate Daily Feed What Next: TBD | Inside the Goonerverse
Oct 31, 2025
Daniel Kolitz, a Journalist known for his piece on gooning in Harper's Magazine, dives deep into a striking subculture. He describes the enigmatic 'gooner meet-ups' and ritualized practices within this community. Kolitz explains how the pandemic fueled gooning's rise, facilitated by Discord's structure, and the dynamics of communal rituals like 'wank battling.' He discusses the impact of this phenomenon on male loneliness and the cultural shift towards rapid-content consumption, raising questions about addiction and the changing landscape of intimacy.
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From Discord To A Hotel Room
- Daniel Kolitz attended a Jersey City hotel meetup and met a host called Wristband Guy who organized in-person gooning events.
- He was not allowed to stay for the actual event and instead used the visit to understand how online groups move into physical spaces.
Gooning As A Group Flow State
- Gooning is prolonged, often communal masturbation aiming for a 'goon state' described as a meditative flow.
- The community coalesced on Discord into large servers with specialized games, creators, and rituals.
The Goon Cave Setup
- Kolitz describes 'goon caves' equipped with multiple screens, projectors, lube, and porn posters as dedicated porn shrines.
- He recounts how participants use dual-camera setups to watch while showing their bodies on stream.