Send In The Clowns ...

Clowns.

They're just no good.

Quite often, in fact, they're downright bad. You don't want them near you (Why would you?), they're often creepy looking and even thinking about them gives people the willies.

Many fear them. Yes, sometimes it's an irrational fear ... but it's a fear nevertheless. In the presence of clowns, children have been known to break into hysterical fits. Adults as well. Even dogs shy away from them.

I've seen or have come across too, too many clowns in print ads or posted on line looking as if they're up to something sinister. Part of people's revulsion is that those acts aren't necessarily obvious. There seems to be something underlying about the way they appear. It's the air about them ... it exudes creepiness. Simply seeing a clown portrait hanging on a wall can set your mind atwitter. And in real life? Up close and personal? *shudder* For the life of me I cannot recall a single instance where I've crossed a clown's path and anything good came of it ... or even that it was any kind of a pleasant experience.

You might ask: With all the unease they seem to bring forth, why start writing and posting about them, then? Because there is a contingent of people out there who think there's nothing wrong with them, nothing to fear about clowns:

"Clowns aren't creepy! They're clowns! They're here to entertain us, to make us laugh ... not to scare us!"

It's not that I harbor any skepticism about the above statement. As a matter of fact, there is no skepticism about it in the least: The statement is simply out and out false.

Subsequent pages of this blog are going to shed light on clowns and show a few of the reasons they cause concern and disquietude. It will showcase their scariness and the manner in which they surround themselves with uncomfortableness. Maybe there's something beneath that pancake makeup that's not quite right. Some will say it's because clowns have something to hide. Those painted-on faces hide something underneath. It's quite possible that "underneath" could be why there's such vehemence shown toward them. Could it be those sometimes-too-wide eyes suggest they really don't have any soul behind them?
 
Others feel there could be some diabolical bent within them and that's why they loathe them. Or it could be something else entirely. Honking a nose in a Bugs Bunny cartoon? Not a problem. A honking clown nose, both figuratively and literally? Different situation all together.
 
Understand: I'm not one of those who has an all-consuming fear of clowns. But that doesn't mean I don't find them creepy. Because I do ... and they are. 

In future posts, we'll explore all sorts of things regarding clowns and coulrophobia (the fear of clowns) - what makes them tick, why they're as freaky as they appear to be and what makes our hair stand on end when we see or think about them. They're supposed to make us laugh and feel good with their antics but, instead, they make us cringe. Sure, they laugh ... but man, is that laughter ever forced. Why? Those clothes ... those stripes and polka dots: Are they meant to be colorful and gay? Or are they there to daze us for some reason?

You never know ... moving forward we might even learn something worthy about clowns. Though, for the life of me, I have no idea what that could be ...

"... clowns are universally disliked by children.
Some found clown images to be quite frightening ..."

- Dr. Penny Curtis, researcher