Hoax or Harrassment? Police Patience Stretched Thin

14641970_1192125697515039_1273358127951714267_nSo, we’re all aware of the creepy clown thing (someone has called it the Clown Purge – cute) that is taking our nation by storm. It turns out, with social media, harmless prank can turn into an international panic.

It all started when some kids said they saw a clown trying to lure them into the woods. That account, however, has never been confirmed. Since then, kids are making threats against their schools on Social Media pages, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook that they are going to dress as clowns and menace their schools with violence.

Did you  know there are some states that have laws against masks or hoods after dark? Yeah, crazy. Although I guess if you use grease paint, that doesn’t apply to you.

Unfortunately, this is looking like more and more mass hysteria. Actual documentation, despite cell phones, of clown activity is almost non existent.

The scary part, though, is that things like what happened at Penn State – the college kids going out marauding after a supposed sighting, eventually finding nothing – is text book mass hysteria. People need to relax and take things in stride. Not saying not to protect yourself, just maybe wait till there’s something physical there to protect from.

We don’t need mobs. We don’t need lynchings. We don’t need hysteria and fear. The police so far are treating this as a hoax because of the complete lack of substantiation. So don’t let it go to your head.

Source

Man Shoots at Harmless Woman; Doesn’t Know What Clowns Look Like

Scary Afghan Blanket - BEWARE!
Scary Afghan Blanket – BEWARE!

So, it looks like this Clown Surge (what a name!) is getting even more out of hand. On the 3rd, it was reported that a man came out of his house and shot at a woman walking her dog because he thought she was a clown, but she wasn’t. not only did he shoot at her, but he did so with an AR-15 assault rifle. Clearly, she and her dog were extremely generous.

According to the Lexington Herald Leader, the man’s wife came in frightened because she thought she saw a clown. The man grabbed his gun and went outside to investigate and when the not-a-clown-harmless-woman just stood there instead of reacting to him in the way he expected, he decided to fire a warning shot while his wife called the police.

Wow, guys, really? A lady in an afgan. Unless I am wrong, that means she was wrapped in a blanket waiting for her dog to poo. Such a crime!

(Thank you to Jen for the lead on this story)

 

Police Commissioner Says to Calm the Fuck Down

Clown Menace

Clowns may be safer wearing a politician mask over their grease paint
Clowns may be safer wearing a politician mask over their grease paint

According to a Deputy Commissioner in New  York City, even though the clown invasion seems to be scary, there’s nothing to be afraid of. People acting out of fear are much scarier. Reports of clowns being creepy are mostly unconfirmed and there aren’t any of clowns causing any actual mischief let alone any real harm.

The clown reports started in August and have been gaining steam and this report is worried that clowns will be coming to more and more violence as the month goes on. I am not sure what is causing, likely the farce of an election that we’re having, but tensions are high.

It has been shown in numerous studies that when communities are on edge, horror stories, movies, games, etc. become a larger focus and somewhat of a cattharsis for that anxiety. Which is to say, people are likely to take out their frustration on anyone who seems to volunteer for it – like harmless clowns.

My clown friends and family out there – stay safe and consider wearing a politician’s mask over that scary grease paint!

Source

Clowns – Run for Your Lives!

Perfectly Normal College Student Participating in Angry Mob
Perfectly Normal College Student Participating in Angry Mob
It might be time for the clowns out there to lie low. Early in the morning on Tuesday (that’s today!), Penn State students – more than 500 of them! – rampaged around the Pennsylvania campus hunting for a clown rumored to be seen nearby. They are using emboldening quotes like “some people run away from clowns, but Penn State runs towards them.” The students are chanting and, in their words, rioting against the clowns.

Uh, yes. I still think they’re making a bigger deal out of this than necessary. If you are a clown or even if you just look like one, you may want to consider laying low for a little while lest the completely normal college students massacre you and spread your remains around campus llike the angry mob they are.

Source

Video on twitter:

Creepy Clowns – Danger!

Little Orphan Clownie
Little Orphan Clownie

Alright, guys – you KNOW I delight in the creepy clown thing. Few things make my black, twisted heart skip a beat the way a good creepy clown does (hell, even a bad one!). But things are, as usual, getting out of hand.

And… worst of all – people are dying. While the police can’t confirm whether it was just another shooting in a high-shooting area (WTF, people? A high-shooting area?) or because of the clown costume, but dying is very bad and we should do what we can to stop it. So over-reacting to your fears or playing on the fears of the unstable MIGHT be something you want to think twice about.

KEEP IN MIND! Most these threats and hostilities that you’re worried about from Clowns are unfounded. Other than the Clown-based social media accounts, none of the clowns have been spotted doing anything illegal. So there is no reason to attack them!

‘Tis the season – try to be merry!

 

What States Have Creepy Clown Sightings?

As of September 30th, 2016, the following states have had creepy clown sightings:

  • Cloyne
    Cloyne

    Alabama

  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Mississippi
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin.

Source

Something in the Air – About Creepy Clowns

2520729562_78e3b31212_oIt seems that there was something in the air last night as CNN posted an article today by Frank T. McAndrew on the very same topics I posted last night. So, you guys will know, I got there first.

This is an excellent article, though – it briefly touches on the history of clowns (missing a couple important stops on the way), the nature of creepiness, and the creepy clown phenomena. And it may confirm quite a bit of what you probably already suspect.

For instance, one point the author makes is that clowns are creepy because we don’t know if they are trustworthy or not. And we don’t know because we have a hard time reading their expressions and actions. Clowns are unpredictable and they are not constrained by social norms – they are distinctly outside of them.

The author also claims that John Wayne Gacy, the famed clown entertainer and serial killer of over 30 people, started the creepy clown craze. Not so! In tribal communities, depending on context, the clown or trickster characters were equally respected and feared.

Ah… now there’s the word. The Trickster. If you’ve ever studied tribal cultures (Nordic, Australian, Native American, African, etc.) the Trickster is an important member of the mythos. This character USUALLY is out for your own good, though his methods are questionable. A lot of times you end up with egg on your face. That won’t kill you, though, and you’ve learned an important lesson. So one should always be cautious with a trickster around.

One thing he did mention, however, was the similarity of the recent clown sightings to another incident in the early 1980s where a rash of clown sightings happened in Boston. That incident was determined to be a case of mass hysteria perpetuated by what seems to be children seeing clowns in unusual places, followed quickly by adults making the same claims. With so many unverifiable clown sightings recently, it may well have at least started out that way. But, since we have the internet now, copycats have embraced the fun wholeheartedly.

Creepy Clown Sightings to Promote “It” Remake?

Marketing is Effective!

The New PennywiseSo, the Rolling Stone, followed by the Inquisitr, has posited that the killer clown sightings happening around the country are just a guerilla marketing ploy to promote New Line Cinema’s remake of Stephen King’s “It.” And let me tell you, just the thought that someone might do something like that makes me very happy deep down in my black twisted heart. I think for a successful “come again to Jesus” call out for “It” would be fantastic – it would play on all our nostalgic “It” memories and terrorize a new generation of kids (and that new generation is the right age for that). But, of course, New Line denies it. Of course, what else could they do? For it to work, they’d have to deny it!

Crazy clowns don’t ACTUALLY do anything more horrible than scare people – crimes committed with clown costuming are ridiculously low, so, while being ever vigilant, enjoy the scary good times!

And if you’re listening to me, New Line, let me just say – well done, sir!

 

Snuggles is Being Profiled

Being a Clown is Serious Business

Snuggles the Clown
Snuggles the Clown

I sympathize, I really do. Clowns are good people most the time. But here we have Snuggles, a professional scary clown for 9 years, fearing for his safety and hijacking an EXTREMELY serious Social Justice Movement (Ed is a HUGE supporter of #BLM, so fuck you, Snuggles!) because he’s starting to feel threatened by the hostility of “normal” people. I guess the craze of clowns being creepy and scaring people is starting to get out of hand because Snuggles and his friends are starting to be menaced by “normal” people and having the cops called on them just for going about their clown business.

People dress as clowns to be scary – yes, scary is a thing. But it’s also supposed to be fun! Is this a case of people overreacting or have the clown scares gone too far?

You tell me.

Scary Clown in Agawam, Massachusetts

Free Hugs

12038100_gSo, it looks like there was another clown siting at a Geissler’s Super Market in Agawam, Massachusetts. People reported seeing the clown and one person even got a video of him where he begins chasing their car! Employees and customers a like are scared for themselves, their families, and their friends.

HOWEVER – there is nothing to fear! This clown was just doing his job – promoting the local amusement park’s transformation into a ScareFest for Halloween. No one was harmed and the park has apologized for any terror or chaos it caused.

Clowns, though – wow! Like his style!

http://www.westernmassnews.com/clip/12775021/agawam-clown#.V_HgcE0nA2s.link