Clowns were supposed to entertain us. So why do so many people fear them or freak
out at the very mention of them? In
honor of the coming National Clown Week (August 1st-7th),
I will attempt to explain this.
As a child, I remember watching Bozo the Clown on
television. I was never scared of his
grease painted face but I was not very interested, either. I prefer the clown doll in Poltergeist or Tim
Curry’s role as Pennywise in Stephen King’s IT. Even those clowns never scared me, though the
one in Poltergeist did creep me out a bit.
Then there were the hobo clowns that just made me sad with their
checkered cloth bag on a stick and defeated eyes. Of course, we don’t see them around anymore,
do we?
As so many friends and people I have met have told me they
are just terrified of them, to the point of shivers and shakes, I wondered
why. I may have an answer.
When it comes down to it, I think everyone knows how fake
the illusion of happiness is on that painted smile. Even if the clown is playing happy, I think
our internal sensors tell us if that person is truly happy or just acting. I believe we can see past the grease paint
and get more of a sense of the real person. Isn't the smile usually painted over straight lips?
Our natural defense mechanisms go into alert when we are
shown one thing and feel another about a person. It is what protects us against predators,
especially skilled ones. The real trick
is to listen to our intuition and not give in to shiny objects and promises we
don’t feel are real.
By the title, you didn’t think this would be so deep, did
you?
Still, there are plenty of people who match the smile they
smear on themselves when they entertain.
People who are truly passionate about bringing joy to others. I say we embrace these people and enjoy their
work. Of course, when that little bell
rings in your head… listen. That goes
not just for clowns, but for all life.
Thanks for reading.
