Clown Craze
"...I would grab a stick to defend myself.”
-Richard Eng '17
Clowns have been inciting a playful fear in children and adults over hundreds of years; however, more recently this fear of the colorfully-costumed Halloween characters has taken on a new form. All across the nation, people dressed in clown suits are terrorizing neighborhoods and schools, and authorities are investigating the motives and potential dangers of these instances.
The conflicts originated in Greenville County, South Carolina, when a mother returned home and her youngest son began to tell her about two clowns seen talking to each other near the woods of their property, according to the Rolling Stone. One of her other sons also reported that he heard banging on their front door and what sounded to be chains dragging. When the police were informed of this incident, they searched the woods in question but did not find anything. Similarly in Forsyth County, a woman said that a clown carrying a machete tried luring her into the woods. Many other incidents have swept the nation, and according to the International Business Times, there have been reports of clown sightings in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arkansas, and Texas, among others. While no one in the United States has reported any injuries from these clown-related incidents, The New York Times reports that a teen in Sweden was stabbed by a clown!
These clown sightings are nothing new. The New York Times adds that, in 1981, children in Brookline, Massachusetts reported that clowns were trying to lure them into their vans, offering candy to persuade them. The police investigated the incident but no clowns were arrested. The clown craze was ignited again in 1985 and 1991, both times children reporting that they saw clowns which were never found.
With crazy incidences like these, people are quick to assume that it will never happen to them; however, clowns have been spotted in New Hampshire. For instance, Sam Muskat ‘17 said that, when she was driving through Bedford late at night, a clown “just rolled out from under a tree riding a tricycle.” She also added that she almost hit the clown and that the whole situation was terrifying -- which is putting it lightly. With the clown craze even prevalent in New Hampshire, some seniors are considering which of the “fight or flight” options they would choose. For instance, Richard Eng ‘17 says that, if he sees a clown, “If I was in my car, I would try to run it over. If I was in the street, I would grab a stick to defend myself.” Eng seems to want to take an aggressive approach out of self-defense, but if a clown actually confronted him, I am not too sure he would have the same fighting mentality that he does here. Isaac Dinsmore ‘17 takes a slightly different approach than Richard: “If a clown were to attack me, to defend myself I would try to disable it in some way and then run. If I was in my car I would probably avoid hitting it, if I could, and just try to get out of there as soon as possible.” Although Dinsmore says that he would avoid hitting the clown, Eng has no regard for the safety of the colorful figure chasing him, but can you blame him? Nonetheless, the most important thing to remember is safety -- if you can escape, that is probably a better idea than giving the clown a reason to assault you.
Whether the motives of these clowns is to actually cause harm or simply to incite fear into people across the globe, police will arrest anyone who dresses as a clown because, according to findlaw.com, hiding your face can be considered a threat to public safety, especially now with the notorious reputation for clowns. However, these clown threats have been generally interpreted as pranks escalated through mass hysteria and enriched by the negative view of clowns in pop culture. Nonetheless, seemingly harmless clowns from amusement parks and circuses will take on a whole new meaning if this clown mess continues. If I see a knife-wielding figure in colorful clothing, I am not going to give it a chance to come near me!.
Resources Consulted:
Garofalo, Alex. "Creepy Clown Sightings Map 2016: A Timeline Of Threats, Arrests, School Closings And False Reports." International Business Times. N.p., 05 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Khoury, George. "Can Police Arrest Someone for Wearing a Creepy Clown Mask?" Legally Weird. N.p., 3 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Lovejoy, Bess. "What Do the Scary Clowns Want?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Zupello, Suzanne. "'Killer Clowns': Inside the Terrifying Hoax Sweeping America." Rolling Stone. N.p., 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Richie Tarpey is currently a senior at Derryfield and is Lamplighter's Management Editor