DRAMA

Friday, March 7, 2008 - JP at 09:49 in General

Another interesting phenomenon are what could be called “complimentary” phobias which sometimes, but not always, accompany the fear of clowns and/or Mimes. Below is another list, this one of other fears that are typically also mentioned by Clown- and Mimeophobes:

* Dolls (especially moving ones; life-like eyes, talking, etc.)
* Toy monkeys (especially cymbal monkeys)
* Marionettes/Ventriloquists’ Dummies
* Jack-In-The-Boxes
* Becostumed people (mascots, Santa Claus)

Firstly, dolls are definitely a recurring object of fear and loathing. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what kind, sometimes the kind that walk or talk, or whoese eyes close when you lay them down. The Animated Doll phobia has been capitalized on in the media, and provides tension and horror in countless movies. As one writer told me, “I can just see them coming to life in the night and killing me with a knife! Yikes!” Yikes indeed, but where does this fear come from? All of these objects are of the “chicken or the egg” variety - are people afraid of dolls now because of the movies they have seen, such as “Child’s Play”? Or is that WHY those type of movies are so popular, because people are naturally afraid of dolls and the like?

Moving on, toy monkeys have also left their marks on generations of psyches. This is kind of a blanket classification, as some dolls are monkeys, and there are even clown-doll-monkey-jack-in-the-boxes, so there is no absolute distinction between these phobias, reflecting the amorphousness of most people’s fears which run together to include two or more of these things. As a child, I had a stuffed animal-type monkey, black and yellow with a soft plastic face and hands, one of which held a banana. Although I played with it quite a bit, and chewed on the plastic parts, it still was always kind of a thrill doing so - like touching the physical incarnation of danger. It was really not until I got older that the monkey began to make me really uneasy - a phobia that matured as I did. I also had one of those accursed cymbal-monkeys, that clapped his cymbals together and was powered by either wind-up or batteries, I can’t recall. Some I have seen even have lips that move to bare their teeth as it claps - now THAT is scary! Is it the loud noise, the almost-but-not-quite humanlike qualities of these toys that fuel our fears? Many people also report that their toys, similar to these, make noise or fall off shelves or what-have-you without any external stimulus whatsoever. Spooky. And the fact that sometimes these are made up to resemble clowns, as the monkey-grinders did, well…

Marionettes and Dummies. No, I’m not referring to Bill Clinton. Also a popular staple is the ventriloquist dummy which comes to life and pursues any number of homicidal impulses. Very similar to the doll, the dummy is in even closer contact more of the time, and is given a REAL personality, by the ventriloquist - though some children can give any ventriloquist a run for their money with the personalities they create for their favorite toys. Also, it should be notes that many puppets and marionettes are also painted and/or dressed as clowns, or at least have enough exaggerated make-up that they resemble them…Still, the aspect of spontaneous animation, coupled with a penchant for evil make the dummy and also marionettes (string puppets) a source of terror for some, being large enough to actually make an effective attacker, if somehow they did come to life. Perhaps potential is the key…

Okay now, we deal with what is really at the heart of this irrational(?) phenomenon which has been dubbed Clownophobia (or Coulrophobia, as some people call it, using the closest Greek counterpart they can, which turns out to roughly translate into “Stilt/Limb Fear”), the mentality and psychology of both Clowns and Clownophobes. Putting all kidding aside, just for the moment, anyway, I think it would be well to really examine this phenomenon in an impartial and objective light. In order to provide an example that I am familiar with, I will share my own “Evil Clown” experience, and try to pick out what I feel are important aspects or telling features of it, as it relates to my own Anti-Clown sentiment, in order to bring this fear out of the darkness of ridicule and juvenile ignorance and into the harsh, cleansing and empowering light of truth and acknowledgement. My experience, and my notes relating to it, can be found by clicking here, which takes you to my page which will be filled with only guest-submitted stories or opinions.

Let’s take a general composite of some of the typical Anti-Clown stories you might find on the internet. A man (as they seem to be as common as women) relates a negative experience he has had with a Clown at some time in the past. More often than not, there is also mention of the portrayal of malificent Clowns in popular culture, such as telelvision and motion pictures. While some people actually cite a movie or show as being the basis for their Clown Fear, I find this highly unlikely, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, though some shows or movies cause us to have unreasoning fears and/or nervousness for a short amount of time, or rarely, chronic nightmares for longer periods, the precedent for developing a life-long fear or even hatred for an object or person just because it frightened us when we saw it on TV is a very intricate subject. To wit, only atomic war and now, alien abduction (also a favorite subject of mine) can be compared to Clownophobia as contemporary disorders/phenomena. In the Middle Ages, superstition ran rampant and people (mainly peasants, though all folk had some percent of believer in them) warded off and jumped at almost anything under the sun (or moon). As Man progressed and developed analytical thought, philosophy, psychology and in general streamlined his reasoning, many such things fell by the wayside (though still today you will find some copiously avoid walking under ladders or opening an umbrella inside a building).

The fear of war is always present in Man, and atomic war, as highlighted by the “Duck and Cover” era of the Cold War, is understandable, as war is unavoidable, and it was assumed that the next war to break out would be fought with the newest technology, that of the A-Bomb. The terror caused by the realization of the massive destruction and unthinkable side effects of an atomic explosion left a scar on the world’s psyche which actually has thus far aided in averting the use of such weapons of mass destruction. Alien abductions are the most popular mainstream “incident” that happens to people now - unawares citizens, maybe farmers, maybe senators, maybe African tribesmen, are kidnapped by presumably “alien” captors and usually become the victims of strange quasi-surgical and/or hypnotic procedures. I will not go into this phenomenon any further, as it is far too convolutes, save to say that it has been and currently is the reigning “popular-but-rarely-admitted” phenomenon in most places, certainly in the United States.

In paging through numerous clown-related stories and opinions, I have noticed a few striking similarities, a very few of which indicate actual run-ins with the infamous “Killer Clowns” of the 80’s, as mentioned above. The most common references made to scary clowns in the media or clowns which set people on edge, according to their stories published on various websites, are as follows:

* The clown puppet in the movie “Poltergeist”, especially the part where it drags the little boy under the bed
* Pennywise the clown, from Stephen King’s “It” (book and movie)
* “Killer Clowns from Outer Space” B-grade horror movie
* Ronald McDonald - icon of McDonald’s fast-food restaurants
* National clown figures, such as Bozo
* Shakes the Clown (movie)
* Krusty the Clown - The Simpsons
* Homey the Clown - In Living Color
* Emmet Kelley’s Hobo Clown and Pictures of Him
* The Violator clown/demon - Spawn (movie/comic book/cartoon series)

This is basically a list of the most widely known use of clown characters in the media. The last reference is mainly concerned with “collectible” art, such as Hobo Clown plaques and pictures resembling Emmet Kelley in his clown costume. The three clowns above Emmet are portrayed in their respective media in very bad light; drunks, wash-outs, burglers, militants, and therefore don’t seem to scare people as much as exemplify some Clownophobes’ actual ideas about clowns.

Most people who do not like clowns usually have one more opinions of them, as listed below:

* Fear: “Man, they SCARE the crap outta me!”
* Aversion: “I don’t like em. I want them to leave me alone.”
* Hatred: “I wanna shoot every clown I see!!!”

As can be seen, there is an anti-clown sentiment that runs the gamut from fear to hatred, the mean of which is simple aversion, which I myself suffer from. I don’t like clowns, but I know they’re just people, and sometimes people I know, so I don’t *hate* them, or have a deep *fear* of them, just in everyday life, but I’d rather avoid any contact with them if at all possible.

The difference between Clowns and Mimes is also striking, in that each seem to have an archetype that they imitate to the letter; Clowns being at least to some extent obese, while Mimes are universally rail-thin, anorexic. The reason for this remains unclear thus far, to the League, but it has been posed by some of our members that Mimes are vegetarians and Clowns are almost pure carnivores. A strange symbiotic relationship exists between what in the animal world would equal a predator-prey situation. The rotundity of the Clown is also thought to be at least a partial defense against the weather, storing up to fifteen pounds of food and three liters of water in his specialized stomach, allowing him to go for weeks without external sustenance and stalk his prey patiently. Mimes on the other hand, seem to require water all the time, usually bottled French water, and also are hypothesized to have a rare type of exzema or other skin condition, accounting for the rarity of hairy Mimes. The most common areas for a Clown to frequent, identified by his candy-like spoor, are habitats in suburban areas with lots of children. Circuses and fairs and charity events are also regular hang-outs and covers for these creatures, but they are more likely to have more opportunity to spread their evil in a more private environment, say a neighborhood street. We here at the League are doing everything in our power to learn more about Clowns and Mimes and pass along the information to you, the public, as soon as we get it, so keep the faith and never give up hope that we can, someday, live in a Clown-Free World!

The Killer Clown flap in the mid 80’s (which still continues to this day, in greatly reduced frequency, thankfully) is stunning proof of the danger of having such freaks of nature running around loose in your neighborhood, within arms reach of your children! Unmarked vans were spotted and reported by numerous citizens, but never once were any police in any state ever able to give chase, as the vans seemed to disappear into thin air. Perhaps it is for the best though - a confrontation could have turned ugly for the boys in blue… we all know how many Clowns can fit into one of those little bitty kiddie cars, imagine how many would fit into a full sized van!!! Perverted in the utmost, these Killer Clowns were usually seen to be only partially clothed, usually sans pants, denoting their obvious sexual dysfunction and intention; they almost ALWAYS lurked near playgrounds and parks! Interestingly, there are reports of one or more Clowns being driven from playgrounds by a GROUP of like-minded kids, who didn’t like the weirdo just hanging around - if this is true, this proves that Clowns are also cowards, innately. If anyone can offer any more insights into this or any other related topic, please e-mail me from the main page!

Mimes appear to represent the missing link between Man and Clown. Why do they not speak? Are they unable or unwilling? Some would have you believe it is a hybrid of spiritual, political and philosophical statement, but we obviously know that that is bogus, as someone dressed like an emaciated Mickey Mouse attempting to escape from an imaginary box is simply too psychotic to really offer any worthwhile viewpoints on life at large. Perhaps the first Mime was a mute clown. Perhaps Silent Movies have a hand in their development somewhere. The most famous (or infamous, in the League’s opinion) Pied Piper of Mimedom is Marcel Marceaux, whose upside down pentagram birthmark is almost never mentioned during any biographical treatises on his long and public life, tempting more unassuming school children into the dark clutches of the Paint.

At any time, if you were to count the number of mindless citizens, dumbstruck by a Mime’s erroneous attempts to pull himself toward a lamp-post with an imaginary rope, you would be shocked and appalled at the number of otherwise healthy, sane individuals who seem to have no real defense against the lure of the absurd. They will stand there, disregarding important appointments and even inclement weather, to watch a Mime perform his schtick, and some, having fallen too far under the malignant spell, will even toss coins to the Mime, signaling to the sly predator their unquestionable succeptibility to domination and mind control. Mimes also recreate almost exclusively in streets, usually in the busier parts of a large city, as opposed to the Clown’s penchant for what John Cougar Mellencamp would refer to as “Little Pink Houses”.

A thoughtful visitor put forth the possibility that Mimes are actually the PRODUCTS of Clowns. “How is that?” you say? Trauma is a very real and very common phenomenon associated with childhood memories of clowns. Using medical and psychological history as a guide, we also see that trauma can cause many different physiological ailments, one of which can be termed “hysterical muteness/laryngitis”, where the subject is either unwilling or unable (due to a psychological block) to speak. Now, we know that some Mimes are capable of verbal communication, so we’ll throw those select few out right now, but what of the remainders? Is it possible that the horrendous childhood shock experienced by these poor souls as children have led them, ultimately, to recreate the very thing which they are so afraid of; have they been forced, in their own minds, somehow, into Clowndom? This is a very disturbing train of thought - one which I had not considered. What then, if this is the case, are these “Accidental Mimes” hoping to acheive? Is this a release for them? A way to face their fears? Or are they actually insane? As a crotchety old philosopher once said, “If you stare into the Abyss long enough, the Abyss begins to stare back”. If anyone can offer any more insights into this or any other related topic, please e-mail me from the main page! Below is a small gallery of mime-related pictures and narration.