Don't Send In The Clowns

Do you know what coulrophobia is? It's the clinical term for the fear of clown. I think many kids and adults suffer from it because clowns can be downright eerie looking and menacing. Even as a child I was apathetic about clowns. They impacted me not. But if you ever go to a circus and watch the kids around the circus claws (who from my perspective are a depressing lot to watch because even though they try so hard to be funny they are not). Remember 'The Joker" in the Batman series. The joker is a clown's clown because he is flat out bizarre and is clue less to the fact that he is. Most people who have a fear or aversion for clowns see the joker in every clown that they see.

Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, is one of the top ten phobias humans have. The term stems from the Greek koulon, meaning limb, and refers to clowns and circus performers who walk on stilts. Coulrophobia sufferers experience symptoms ranging from mild anxiety to outright panic attacks when faced with people in clown outfits or even just makeup. Clown costumes tend to exaggerate the facial features and some body parts, such as hands and feet and noses. This can be read as monstrous or deformed as easily as it can be read as comical and is one reason some hate or fear clowns.

Many psychiatrists believe a fear of clowns may stem from early childhood experience.I once made fun of a politician on Mardi Gras Day by wearing a mask of him and a clown outfit. One one level people could relate that I was comparing him to a clown, while at the same time the clown part of the outfit also gave a creepy lilt to the politician that boosted the effect to a second level. I see clown costumes at Mardi Gras every year, but most are worn by kids who love clowns. The clown haters view clowns like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard. For them, it's all too painful and creepy to bother even spoofing them.

Phases like "send in the clowns" and "those clowns can't do anything right" reflect the negatives associated with clowns. I suspect most clowns must not be happy campers. They at least can take solace in the fact that they aren't layers or politicians. What's your perspective about circus clowns?