32: gooning
let’s talk about the philosophy of gooning.
the way i understand it, medeiros seems to see gooning as a somewhat based, locally optimal strategy of the woke melancholic individual who sees through society’s status trappings around sex, and thus chooses his own autoerotic path. the “woke” gooner serves as a sort of antihero in opposition to the “broke” alienated individual (who is constantly trying to repair his insufficiency and existential dread by pursuing casual sexual encounters, wherein, even if he is able to “succeed” in his “conquest,” continually finds himself empty and depleted from these pursuits—the object of his fantasies, in the commission of the sexual act, is found to be absent, and the nondeliverance, to the gooner, seems to be an avoidable feature of Existing in Modern Society).
instead of playing the song-and-dance of modern “sex” (more accurately described as mutual masturbation), the gooner skips the performative seduction project and pretending to care about her favorite color, etc., and goes straight for the compensation prize: the semireligious bliss of a good edge sesh.
modern relationships have degenerated in their apparent goals; whereas maybe previously it was high-status to build a strong marriage and family, nowadays it seems that people are more driven to be elevated in their individual accomplishments or Objective Sex Appeal and operate from a competitive, zero-sum mindset (consciously or nonconsciously). but i digress
zizek offers a compelling take on the ideal date, given these societal pressures to Have Sex and Be Sexy: two individuals, after dinner and drinks, decide they like each other enough to go home together. as they enter the bedroom, each whips out their high-tech masturbation devices—some magic wand vibrator dildo amalgamation for the girl; some stamina training auto-stroking fleshlight thing for the guy; and they let the sex toys fuck each other. it is then, and only then, that the couple may perhaps share a cup of coffee and a long, intimate conversation into the night about whatever it is that they really want to talk about.
so, uh... me and who?