alt.usenet.kooks is a newsgroup established on 1993-12-20 as part of the alt hierarchy, its main focus is on discussing Usenet contributors who fit the definition of a "net.kook" as mentioned in its highly laughable FAQ:<ref name=AnonFAQ> </ref>

:Anyone who posts uniquely strange, preferably incomprehensible articles, or who manifests a persistent, extreme, and somewhat bizarre obsession, might be a net.kook, but alt.usenet.kooks takes it to another level. When a potential net.kook is identified, steps are made to discover their real life identity if they are posting anonymously. If the potential net.kook's identity is known, attempts will be made to link this person's text on usenet to their identity in real life. Occasionally, kookologists employ a technique called LART. This basically means that kookologists make attempts to cause problems for their target net.kook by contacting their ISP, employer, and even sometimes the target's family or friends. Any potentially "damning" information about the target is usually collected individually by kookologists, and often shared on websites that have been created for the sole purpose of this amazingly involved cat-and-mouse game.

The subscribers to the group regularly hold votes to label people as "recipients" of various mock awards. Past "winners" include people of Usenet notoriety such as
Archimedes Plutonium, Sollog, Kenneth Robert Pangborn and Jack Sarfatti, and also people (or organizations) of greater fame such as Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Gary Glitter and the Kansas Board of Education.<ref name="insurgent.org list"> </ref> Awards of special distinction have been given to Edmond Wollmann (Kook of the Millennium), Earl Curley (Kook of the Century), John Grubor (Kook of the Century and Decade), Brad Jesness (Kook of the Decade) and Richard Bullis (Clueless Eternal Newbie).<ref name="insurgent.org list"/> See the external links below for a full list of award winners.

As its name implies, the main focus is on Usenet posters seen as kooks, though alleged kooks on the World Wide Web and in real life are also discussed, as are more general topics of what motivates posters perceived as kooks by the other subscribers, and what an appropriate response to them might be. Also, persons suffering from actual mental illness rather than mere kookdom are sometimes spared from receiving the award. See Formosa's Law, despite the fact that self-help and "support" newsgroups tend to be favorite targets for kookologists seeking "fresh meat".

The group receives many crossposts in the form of follow-ups to alleged kookery in other groups, as well as many posts from people who believe they have been falsely accused of being kooks. On rare occasions, the kookologists can be trolled by someone pretending to be a net.kook, sometimes by a fellow kookologist as a lark. These sorts of incidents are seen as good humor and have even been awarded the prestigious "Pierre Salinger Hook Line and Sinker" award, in the past. Not many people see the irony in this behaviour.

The FAQ attempts to distinguish between "kooks" and other types of irritating people:<ref name=AnonFAQ />

:It is important to note the subtle distinction between a net.kook, a net.cretin, a clueless newbie, troll, or garden-variety asshole. The newbie, one hopes, can acquire a clue on the installment plan even if he can't afford to buy one for cash. The cretin is merely stupid and/or irritating. The troll is purposely pulling your leg like it got caught in some heavy machinery. The @$$hole is, well, simply that. But a TRUE net.kook has a special fascination derived from his/her/its utter ineffability. Their behavior is irrational, if not downright weird, but they are seldom merely boring.

Controversy

Because the subscribers are typically anonymous (or pseudonymous) and the group is not moderated, those labeled "kooks" have little chance of redress if they actually decide to care much about the somewhat kooky machinations of the kookologists. Those labeled "kooks" are banned for life from voting in awards on alt.usenet.kooks.<ref> </ref>

Especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s, alt.usenet.kooks has been criticized by some as a soapbox for personal or political grudges. Critics claimed that regular users of the newsgroup displayed a "pack mentality" and were engaging in cyberbullying. There have been several criminal cases related to kookologists who overstepped their legal bounds when their prodding of the target became personal and approached the legal definition of harrassment.

Regulars in alt.usenet.kooks also followed those labeled "kooks" into other newsgroups and posted messages attacking them. Beyond that, threats of "real life" repurcussions are often mentioned to the targets by kookologists. Typically, these threats are idle, but occasionally, though the use of anonymous remailers, tor, open proxies, and other channels of obfuscation, the kookologists actually make good on those threats with little fear of redress.

References

<references />

See also

Crank

Barbara Schwarz

External links

– Rules and Award Descriptions

– Search engine for Kook Awards and winners

– a Frequently Asked Questions document

alt.usenet.kooks on Google Groups