Warning Clown.

[East]

What a horrible thing to do to any child...no words.... :frown:

[Nick9]

Hi Mum, would you be comfortable to share why clowns are so big problem? Is it just them or other "Halloween masks" too? If you don't feel like talking about it, just forget my question.

[Rainbowmum]

Not a worry Nick

I really have no idea why I fear them , its the strangest thing.
They just make the hair on the back of neck stand up,and I feel paralyzed.
No other costumes bother me .

I have actually seen a therapist for it, followed her advice, and dressed up as a clown and looked in the mirror.
I must say it did not work very well.

None of the fear makes sense, I know that they are just adults dressed up.
Yet the moment one gets too close , it terrifies me.

[Nick9]

Thanks Mum. Do you think that it is the face? If he was dressed and had those curled hair, but his face was not painted, would that be a problem too?

I am surprised if this is such a common things, how come clowns are invited to hospitals to cheer kids or that McDonald has him as its mascot...

[East]

May I suggest that perhaps the most perceptive amongst us tend to see things most people do not see....and a clown represents the false persona...something else is lurking under the false exterior.

My best friend is a lesbian and clowns are her greatest fear and together this is what we figured out many years ago. Not sure if is is the definitive truth but it is definitely a contributing factor to the fear....or at least that was our joint conclusion.

[Rainbowmum]

I really think it would help .
Obviously this fear stems from something that happened when I was a child.
I just do not remember what.
I remember when I was about 6 years old, I was terrified of anyone with a beard.
It must have something to do with concealment.

[Nick9]

Many kids here are scared of devils (I am not sure if you have them in your fairy tales, probably yes).
It's because we have a tradition that on St. Nicholas Day they accompany St. Nicholas (Nicholas represents the good, devils the bad) Little kids get often scared to death. Many people hate this tradition, and invite just St. Nicholas to their homes, but many people, even teachers in kindergarten think that it's big fun.

[monk]

If he tried it here in a country town , he would find himself shot or bitten , who ever gets to him first.:biggrin:

And damned right, too. :mad:

[CustomMadeKid]

If the parents make sure the child knows its just a bit of fun and no real harm can be done then I understand that, some kids will probably find it fun. But if they are even a little bit scared then it's wrong, and especially if they have a phobia of clowns.

I've always wanted to know what it is about clowns that terrifies some people. I don't have a problem with it myself, but some people I know do! I guess it's just one of those things, like arachnophobia.

[Pix]

I grew up in Texas which has a very tolerant attitude towards self-defense (even the deadly kind), and is infamous for even letting confessed vigilantes off (for example, one guy confronted burglars robbing his neighbor's home and when they fled he shot them and was cleared for it). This would be a very bad place to try scaring anyone and dressed as a clown tapping on a window with a knife is an attempt at suicide, IMO (in many places the property owner can shoot you if you're on their property, you don't have to actually enter their home, at least it has worked out in practice that way).

And there are plenty of vids like this on YouTube:




And while I don't fear clowns I distrust them (save where they obviously belong,like a circus) because it's a good disguise that hides features which could be used in all kinds of crime (violent and otherwise), and I wouldn't want any kid to just go with someone because "he's a clown." That is to say any clown is going to get a peery eye from me. And even in a circus I'd be inclined to be on guard as a pickpocket or worse would find a clown costume especially useful in finding victims to prey upon there.

My 9-year-old boy loves scary stories and one of his favorite Buffy ep (as in borrowed the dvd 3 times since we watched it a month or so ago and he's only borrowed 1 other Buffy dvd for a rewatch once--though we just started season 3, having finished season 2 last week) is Nightmares which he considers especially scary...and it features a homicidal clown, which he loves to see taken down.

For his love of horror I'd never hire such a clown. Even if he asked me to I'd have to get someone I know and trust to play the part because the thought of a stranger stalking my boy, even for fun, really disturbs me. Such a person loves to stalk, loves to terrify (if he didn't then I'd imagine he'd suck at his job, and even then I wouldn't want someone bitter about his job working with my child either)...I suppose it's just dark entertainment some people love (like those "torture porn" movies, especially gory video games, and certain types of metal music that features all kinds of horrid and unquestionably evil subject matters with an obvious intent to shock but people I know into them are, in my experience, almost always good people), but I just couldn't trust someone who chose such a job with any child in my care.

For that matter I'd never even send such a clown after an ADULT, and nobody had best do that to me either.