Don’t Send In The Clowns

What’s with this epidemic of clown sightings all over the United States?

Most of the sightings are deemed non-threatening, like a clown holding some balloons in a poorly lit street corner. Though there was a report of a knife-wielding clown that attacked a boy in Michigan, and clowns with baseball bats spotted also near that same area. There have been other reports of violently threatening clowns.

I think this is more than just clowning around.

It started in late August, when an unsubstantiated report of clowns sighted near the woods in South Carolina. Apparently these clowns were luring children to come into the woods. Since then several incidents of clown sighting were reported in other states, including North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Texas, Phoenix and Idaho.

Nobody is sure if this mass frenzy are just pranks or hoaxes, or are unusual marketing tricks or something (related to a movie that will be soon released?), or a mad social fad. Whatever it is, it is startling and at the same time creepy. But it’s definitely not funny.

In fairness, the studio who recently wrapped up the production of the film, “It”, which is a remake of the film based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel, denies any involvement in this rash of clown sightings. The novel/movie is about a nightmarish clown who hunts children.

The White House have already weighed in on these clown threats, though deferring the matter to the FBI and Homeland Security. Even the master of horror, Stephen King himself, called for calm and to cool down on this clown hysteria.

There is a specific phobia of clowns. It is called Coulrophobia. It is not hard to understand why a person can be afraid of someone with an aberrant-looking face. It is disturbing, to say the least. I don’t understand it as well, why we have this creepy looking character graze our children’s birthday parties.

I myself, am spooked by clowns. Though I like the song “Send in the Clowns,” a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the 1973 musical A Little Night Music. The song became popular after Frank Sinatra recorded it, and Judy Collins’ version made the charts.

Anyway, back with this hysteria of creepy clown sightings, it is said that it is hurting the real clown business. And there was a news report that concerned professional clowns were forming a movement named Clown Lives Matter. They will hold a peaceful march in Tucson Arizona next week.

I am not sure if Ronald McDonald will join the march.

Then this week, there have been sightings of clowns in several universities here in Iowa, where I live. There were also sightings in some high schools here in Des Moines. Police have even accosted a high school student in Des Moines who was dressed as a clown. Apparently the student did it for a prank.

I am afraid that somebody will get seriously hurt with this craziness. It could be that more violent clowns would attack, or who knows, people will get so spooked that they will start shooting all these clowns.

In other news, there were sightings of clowns in the Philippines too. It may be startling, but definitely not funny.

They reportedly appeared in the senate.