NK man battles cyber bullying with art

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) - Eric Crooks aims satire at the world with a colorful collection of slightly odd characters.

The North Kingstown 23 year old is a one man show who blends his words, voice and electronic cartooning into satire about his favorite targets.

"Teenage youth, pop culture. People with no sense of humor. They're my main targets," Crooks said while he was hacking away at his next episode.

Dealing with face to face bullies as a teen was bad enough but then a cyber bully attacked after he put his South Park like cartoon on line.

"Stole my identity, stole my videos and bullied people with autism."

The bully's choice of victims was especially hurtful for Crooks who is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. After the initial shock, Crooks used his cartoon to bully the cyber bully, pointing his satire at the unknown suspect.

"It's definitely a dark road," he said. "And one of the great things about this type of art therapy is to laugh at the world."

His brand of humor takes on telemarketers in one sketch.

"There are lots of theories that the world is ending in December of this year," he reads into a computer microphone as he voices one of his caricatures.

Crooks makes the chunky and slightly irregular Avatar's mouth match his words.

"Want to be saved?" Crooks asks in a raspy voice. "Send me all your money. Buy my books, DVD's."

He admits not everyone will think the world he creates is funny but he draws on the struggles of Muppets creator Jim Henson for motivation and also leans on a quote from another cartoonist; Theodor Geisel, also known as Doctor Seuss who said this.

"For the ones who mind, don't matter. For the ones who matter, don't mind."
 
In other words, he tries not to worry about what the bullies and the critics might think, instead focusing on building an audience of the 'ones who matter.'