Coomer

About

Coomer refers to a Wojak character described as a person with severe masturbation addiction similar to that of the Cumbrain. Unlike similar 4chan Wojak characters such as 30-Year-Old Boomer and Zoomer, Coomer's description includes multiple parody elements which could not be applied to a real person due to humorous exaggeration.

Origin

On December 23rd, 2018, an anonymous 4chan user posted an image of an unkempt, sleazy-looking Wojak with a yellowish-brown beard to /fit/ board (shown below, left).^[1] The image did not see any significant use on the website until on May 6th, 2019, an anonymous 4chan user used an expanded version of it, paired with several captions describing a person suffering from severe masturbation addiction to a grotesque degree, to /v/ board (shown below, right).^[2]

Precursor

On December 31st, 2013, YouTuber thankscomputer published a comedy sketch in collaboration with the controversial comedy group Million Dollar Extreme entitled "Moms." The sketch features numerous references to the word "coom." The post received more than 1.3 million views (shown below).

Spread

While the captioned image of Coomer appeared in a number of threads on /fit/, /v/, /tv/ and other boards between May and July 2019, the character saw a significant surge in use across multiple boards in August 2019 alongside the popularity of the Cumbrain meme, which had been used to criticize those deemed addicted to porn to an impeding degree.

On /fit/ and other boards, the character and associated quotes have been used to mock those unable to resist the urge to masturbate to sexually appealing images. Parody posts written from the point of view of the Coomer and those it is meant to represent, usually in all-caps, appeared in a number of threads as responses to porn and other sexually appealing imagery (examples shown below).^[3][4]

In late August 2019, a number of Vocaroo audio recordings in which anonymous 4chan users reenacted such posts were circulated on /fit/ and other boards.^[5][6]

Oh god I'm gonna, I'm gonna coom!

Coomer Pledge

On October 29th, 2019, Twitter user @TeapotLad suggested a to take a "Coomer Pledge" for the 2019 No Nut November. ^[7] Those who took it pledged to change their social media profile picture to the image of Coomer in the event they failed the No Nut November challenge. The tweet received over 815 retweets and 2,000 likes in three days.

In the following days, several iFunny and Instagram accounts reposted the pledge, including popular reposts by GarfieldFan15,^[8] hydra_ironic.memes^[9] and salad.snake.^[10] On November 1st, 2019, Instagram user @bavid.basselhoff posted a meme imagining the US President Donald Trump putting up the Coomer profile picture, with the post receiving over 550 likes in six hours (shown below).^[11]

Rolling Stone Article

On November 8th, 2019, Rolling Stone published an article in which they tied the use of the Coomer and No Nut November memes with the anti-masturbation and anti-porn arguments advocated by the far-right groups such as The Proud Boys.^[12] Furthermore, anti-Semitic arguments expressed by certain far- and alt-right groups critical of porn consumption were also mentioned the article, with the author describing Coomer as having "vaguely Semitic features."

Yet it would be naive to ignore that there’s significant overlap between the general ideology behind NoFap -- and, to a degree, No Nut November -- and that of the far right, which has increasingly coopted the principles of masturbation abstinence.

Like most memes, “coomer” carries with it more than a tinge of irony, and it’s not always easy to determine whether it’s being used flippantly or to actually deride men who masturbate. But the implication is clear: masturbating is an urge that should be resisted at all costs.

In the following days, users on Twitter and other online platforms posted comments and memes ridiculing the article. For example, a "ok coomer" tweet referencing the Ok Boomer retort by @drippyonfruit received over 590 likes.^[13] A Masked Wojak tweet by @sns2022 received over 130 likes (these and other examples shown below).^[14]

Coomer Man

Coomer Man is the nickname given to AVN Adult Entertainment Expo attendee whose appearance was deemed similar to Coomer on 4chan.

On January 31st, 2019, VICE^[15] posted an report from porn industry event AVN Adult Entertaniment Expo 2019 in Las Vegas. One of the photographs featured a group of men standing near the BLACKED booth, with a man in blue shirt and jeans looking at the camera.

Starting in early September 2019, the photograph of the man was circulated on /tv/ board of 4chan^[16][17], with a number of Coomer memes featuring the man being posted. On September 14th, 2019, the man's social media profiles were discovered,^[18] with 4chan users raiding the accounts with Coomer-related comments (shown below, left).^[19]

In the following months, images of the man remained associated with the Coomer meme, with multiple notable edits posted on 4chan.

Various Examples

Templates

Search Interest

External References