Why are clowns often considered as being scary?

[PetalsTheClown]

I have adult friends that say that they just don't like the idea of not knowing the person behind the clown. My friend told me it would weird her out to have someone talking to her like they know her but then have no idea who it was.

So maybe it's the unknown that bothers people and thus causes them to be afraid of clowns. You just never know what a clown may do. That is their thinking and they don't want to be made fun of or causes to see silly.

That is just what I am gathering from people. Also I know someone afraid of clowns that I think is just a control issue. She don't have control of the situation when a clown is around.

These are just my observations.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Just thought I'd share this video of a coulrophobic woman trying to overcome her fear.

YouTube - Lady is scared to death of Clowns - Coulrophobia

[Calavera]

Originally Posted by applegirl

I'll answer that by asking you a related question first.

Since you were in high school not too long ago-

How does it make YOU feel when you read about another school shooting? Or when you get looked at in a drugstore because darn it, you look young-ish, and - how dare you- you're in the makeup aisle, looking at makeup! (must be a shoplifter, right?)

You're right, you're absolutely right. When I read about another school shooting, I know that Dr. Phil is going to run his mouth about how teenagers are unstable and the media is going to point fingers at my rock music, and all that good stuff. I just think "Come on!!! Teens are people, and people can be good or bad. It doesn't matter what age!"

Man, and when they get on the music, the movies, the video games, I just have to wonder what they're tyring to accomplish. If a person goes into a school and starts shooting, chances are that they were just wrong in the head and the music, etc. wouldn't have made a difference anyway. If a person can't distinguish reality from fantasy, only then should you worry about what they hear or watch on TV.

I just about split my side when you mentioned the drug store situation because it happens to me all the time. When I'm out, I wear a long, dark brown jacket (it goes about to my knees,) just because I like the coverage it gives and I'm always cold. Besides that, it has deep pockets that I just love because I don't like carrying purses and I have a cell phone, a wallet, a lighter and two packs of cigarettes to lug around. Ah, I love my jacket...

Plus, there's the way I look. I am young-ish looking and on any given (casual) day, I'm more than likely wearing some flare jeans with a hole in the knee and super-cool patches on them, my steel toe work boots, darker toned eye makeup (not omg so gothy, just shades of gray rather than bright, feminine tones) and my previously mentioned long jacket. But hey, at least I don't have wild hair and black lipstick. My hair is a dark brown and is always tied up in a respectable bun (it's incredibly bushy, that's the only way I can keep it under control unless I hairspray the crap out of it) and I never need to wear lipstick, just eye makeup.
I guess that translates to the staff as "SHOPLIFTER!"

Sometimes it gets so frustrating that I have to turn to the person following me and tell them "I'm not stealing, okay?!"
On a couple of occasions, the staff was surprised that I didn't make the security system beep on the way out and they just search me anyway because I must have stolen something!

My guess, as a wannabe clown- is that the best anyone can do is defy stereotypes, be positive, and not take it too personally...

Stop calling yourself a wannabe, you're so not.

[applegirl]

The video of the lady was long and not funny- sweet, a little weird, in my opinion-

YouTube - Clown Phobia (Coulrophobia)

This one, which came up as a related one- is shorter, funnier- but, yeah, the clown creeped me out a little bit too.

I think a clown definitely needs to only approach people who want to be approached, because WHOA, rude, overfriendly strangers ARE SCARY!!!

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by Flutterby

I also think part of the problem is the media... !

Remember the big clown story that hit the newspapers in January? It was a study, originally published in Nursing Standard Magazine, that determined clowns were "universally disliked" by children. The story concluded that children's hospitals should not be decorated with images of clowns.

I saw this article published by various news agencies, and every time, it was accompanied by a photograph of some creepy Ed Gein-like clown. I can't help but wonder what types of scary clown images the children were shown when they were surveyed.

No wonder these kids said they didn't like clowns.

[applegirl]

Sometimes it gets so frustrating that I have to turn to the person following me and tell them "I'm not stealing, okay?!"
On a couple of occasions, the staff was surprised that I didn't make the security system beep on the way out and they just search me anyway because I must have stolen something!

VERY INTIMIDATING.

Actually, I think it's the responsibility of honest, educated people to stand up for persecuted ignorant ones whenever possible or at least convenient...

(I read somewhere that Ghandi would ride cross-country trains that were generally ridden by the poor and persecuted people (in India)- and was somewhat inspired by the idea of a person who is able to defend themselves doing things that are way below their means, just looking to be treated badly unjustly, in order to take the bad guys to task- because the poor and ignorant are in no position to defend themselves against this everyday persecution)

SO- I'd like to think that when they are searching you without cause, you'd let them know that you are going to call a lawyer, the police, the NAACP (tell them your uncle is black, people get scared in a different way if they think you have a racism card to play too sometimes), the ACLU, etc... and maybe you'd even follow up and call someone who could help make sure the injustice of an illegal search isn't repeated on other people by these power- hungry drugstore operators... BUT I suspect the reality is- it's easier to just get the heck out of there and never look back.

I'm in my 30's now, I haven't gotten the makeup aisle shoplift stare for a while- but in my 20's I always did. I am indecisive, I like to compare, I like to find the best value for what I want. So I'll pick up the brown eyeshadows from every brand, look at prices, ingredients, net wieghts of all of them, if brown eyeshadow is what I want- compare, and take my time. The makeup aisle is ALWAYS watched, it's not just watched when a teenager walks in; I imagine even grannies get a look, but it's easier for a person to think they can intimidate teenagers, and it's easier to suspect them also, I think- but I don't know why, really.

To retaliate, sometimes I'd play little games- I'd take a few items, walk over one aisle, "look" at things I had no interest in for 30 seconds, go back to the makeup aisle, and repeat... just to watch the salesperson follow me. They act like they're stocking, and avoid confrontation, they want to stay in control somehow and feel powerful, but without any risk... But mostly it's awkward, and I'm glad to be done and out of there. I ALWAYS keep all the pieces I'm holding or considering very much in the open, and either put back things I won't buy exactly where they belong, or if I don't put them back properly, I'm sure to leave them out in the wide open so it's obvious where I left the un-purchased items. Sometimes I even give them to the cashier and explain that I've decided not to purchase these ones... I'm always super-polite with the salespeople who stalk me, and sometimes will approach them for help finding something- to break the ice, mostly, even though it means I've interrupted any stocking they're actually doing...

I believe, from what I remember when I worked in retail as a teenager, that the clerk is not allowed to ask you to empty your pockets unless you are actually seen putting something in them- and I'd think if they were that sure, they'd call a manager who might ask you to wait there while a police officer is called to assist with the search, and meanwhile someone would rewind the security tape to check for verification/ evidence...

You could just get ballsy enough to demand that no person- no manager or clerk- search you until a local police officer is present; insist that you do not trust the shopkeeper, and for all you know they intend to rip YOU off- again, I know it's really easiest to get the heck out of there and never go back.

Wow, I didn't realize the shoplifting topic was so personal for me!

I understand the need for a small business owner to limit losses- but I've been under unjust suspicion too, and it sucks- it feels demeaning and a little threatening.

Besides, I think much of the stealing that happens comes from the employees themselves...

[applegirl]

Hey performing clowns-

How do you determine how outgoing to be during a performance?

Do you wait for a person to make eye contact before you speak to them?

How forward are you about TOUCHING a person- on the arm, shoulder, etc.?

Any fear of lawsuits when it comes to someone being touched or making false claims?

How often do you bring a partner, assistant, fellow clown, video camera, etc- just to avoid being alone during a performance- both for personal safety and protection against false accusations?

Any horror stories about false accusations that you can share?

How often have you decided to go the extra mile, and approach hesitant audience members- then they come out of their shell, genuinely seem to have fun, and you feel like the successful performer you should feel like- and much more confident with the next shy person?

What do you do when NOBODY is interacting with you, to get the ball rolling? And when you make that first move, and get a negative response, how do you recover?

Ever have such a bad crowd that you just leave the function early, and don't ask to get paid, you just need to leave, it's a total disaster?

[Willace-the-Clown]

I never run to anyone that feared clownsnot in person anyway i do have some online freinds that fear clowns & i jsut said i wouldn't go near them in my work clothes. as for murderer clown & the like if they arnt real I dont care i mean i watch It (never got threw the book yet) play Twisted MEtal as Sweet tooth a Killer Clown in a icecream truck with fire hair & watch other horror movies with clowns in it i jsut think of it as a blending of to things i enjoy as in horror & clowns. Now fo the real life ones I wouldn't mind doing mean mean unclowny things to them.

[tim]

Originally Posted by Calavera

Whenever "It" is brought up, I always have the same reaction; It is not a clown. It is anything It wants to be. At the end of the book, It is a giant spider. Now, I will bend and admit that It most often chooses the form of Pennywise.

Hmmm, insightful take on that.

Really, it was a matter of trust. Mind you, that wasn't all that made me cautious. As I had mentioned before, when I saw a clown, I had to ask myself "Why? Why are you, a grown man/woman, putting on that ridiculous costume and slapping on makeup?"

Sometimes, it felt like something was being hidden from me. Sometimes, I was just creeped out by the fact that an adult was dressing and behaving in such a manner.

Well, now I know why, so I don't carry that bias that I used to.

Ultimately, I think that this is what it comes down to with most people. They just don't understand and wary of how a clown inherently shakes us out of the comfortable everyday, and as a result are fearful and wary of trusting. Indeed, the clown needs to earn this trust by breaking down barriers, bringing himself to the other's level, and offering an invitation for you to potentially accept. It is a matter of breaking down barriers.

What affect do pedophile clowns and murderer clown have on your personal life? Does it outrage you? Does it make you put your head in your hand and think "Aw, not this again..."?

I'm frustrated by it. For one weak or flawed human being who has his sins exposed reflects badly upon us all. Too often, these "clowns" are not really even legitimate, respectable entertainers (such as in the case of Gacey, who was more of a fetishish taken up with a fascination of clowns rather than an honest clown himself.) A man like he was just plain sick. If someone is abusing the persona of a clown in order to accomplish an evil act, it absolutely disgusts me. Then there are those who are simply weak and fail to rise to the highest standards which someone entrusted as a children's entertainer is often, understandably, held to. (Take Pee Wee Herman, for example.) In this case, I just feel sorry for the poor person who is simply a fallen human being like the rest of us that had some particular peccadillo which came to light. As the saying goes, "There but for the grace of God go I."

If you could talk to a coulrophobe, and that person would listen, what would you say to them?

I think I would, first, listen to them and try to understand as well as sympathize with whatever legitimately bothers them. Perhaps if they came to respect me as a person (out of slap and motley, first), they would be open to anything I might have to offer by way of insight to build trust and help them overcome it. More so, I'd be worried about betraying that trust and failing them.

[tim]

Originally Posted by applegirl

I'm in my 30's now, I haven't gotten the makeup aisle shoplift stare for a while- but in my 20's I always did. I am indecisive, I like to compare, I like to find the best value for what I want. So I'll pick up the brown eyeshadows from every brand, look at prices, ingredients, net wieghts of all of them, if brown eyeshadow is what I want- compare, and take my time. The makeup aisle is ALWAYS watched, it's not just watched when a teenager walks in; I imagine even grannies get a look, but it's easier for a person to think they can intimidate teenagers, and it's easier to suspect them also, I think- but I don't know why, really.

Just think about how it makes a straight, male, clown feel when 5 store employees come to hang around a few feet away in direct view while he hopelessly tries to figure out what kind of mascara would be right for him.