First an idol, then an outcast: both for wrong reasons?

Abstract

We present a critique on the present status of supersymmetry, based on the viewpoint that its most important motivation in the realm of observable particle phenomenology is the existence of dark matter in the universe. This motivation may as well override the issue of naturalness of the electroweak scale, and it sets up different yardsticks for the supersymmetric particle spectrum, out of which the dark matter candidate emerges. A few investigations in the context of slightly ‘unusual’ scenarios are briefly reported in this context.