The 'True Goon Stare' is a niche internet reaction image that parodies the 'Thousand-Yard Stare' trope, typically featuring a character looking shell-shocked or intensely focused. Within its specific subculture, the meme serves as a gatekeeping or ironic reaction to 'fakegooncels' who express 'pornophobic' sentiments—views that are perceived as being against the extreme digital consumption habits of the group. It gained significant traction on imageboards and platforms like X (formerly Twitter) as a way to mock moralizing or to lean into the absurdity of hyper-specific online identities. The meme often utilizes high-contrast filters or 'deep-fried' effects to enhance the unsettling, vacant intensity of the gaze, making it the perfect response to controversial takes.