Coulrophobia

@tsarstepan,

tsarstepan wrote:

aversion and disdain towards the clown.

That's it!

That's what I feel, aversion and disdain.
Once again, you hit the nail on the tsar.

Not fear, but thinking "why do you feel you need to hide yourself? What's distorted, perverted (not necessarily in a sexual sense), WRONG with you that you have to practice these occult presentations?"

Why are you trying to Trick me? That's not funny.

I don't like being tricked, or teased. If I have to really examine it, it's like the tricker/teaser has some kind of advantage over you. I like things to be fair, and open. No hidden agendas.

What are you hiding behind that grease paint and false nose? Could be nothing, could be something awful. If it's nothing, just be yourself. If it's something awful, well then, I'm not going to be the one tricked.

Honestly? I feel the same way about ventriloquists (sorry reyn), and magicians.

Magicians make no bones about the fact they are tricking you, giving them the upper hand.
I like a level playing field, and clowns and magicians represent a legitimate to society way of having a edge over you, the poor audience.

Magicians actually bore the hell out of me. They trick you, but won't, ever, let you in to their methods.
That's a manipulative relationship, if you ask me. Same with clowns if you want to get deep about it. The public is supposed to pretend to, or actually enjoy this false person....What kind of relationship is that?

I disdain that.

3 Replies

Clowns are freaky.

Period.

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@chai2,

I look at a child's fear of clowns this way: they rely heavily on assessing people's trustworthiness with facial clues which the mask obscures. So if they can't clearly see the eyes, eyebrows, mouth etc..they intuitively can't trust them.

Does this make sense?

1 Reply

@chai2,

so...worse than clowns or magicians are politicians. They wear no visible mask nor try their hand at magic but make our hard-earned money disappear with nothing to show for it. Trick or treat! They are not worthy of trust at all - far worse species than clowns or magicians but somehow they remain in power.

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it would be tough to come here everyday if i was afraid of clowns, especially the political forums Razz

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@Reyn,

I am not afraid of clowns (except the one in "It"), but I was always afraid of ventriloquist dummies. My parents gave me a Howdy Doody one for Christmas one year - either they are sadistic or they thought it would help me overcome my fear of them.

2 Replies

@Ragman,

Ragman wrote:

I look at a child's fear of clowns this way: they rely heavily on assessing people's trustworthiness
with facial clues which the mask obscures. So if they can't clearly see the eyes, eyebrows, mouth etc..
they intuitively can't trust them.

Does this make sense?

It makes sense that no one is trustworthy, however bare his face may be.

I learned that when I was 11 and have only had confirmations thereof.

David

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As a kid I never found the clowns in a circus funny, just sorta boring. Same for Red Skelton, etc.

1 Reply

@Pemerson,

Pemerson wrote:

As a kid I never found the clowns in a circus funny, just sorta boring. Same for Red Skelton, etc.

Whether he is funny depends on what he DOES,
the same as anyone else.

David

0 Replies

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

My parents gave me a Howdy Doody one for Christmas one year - either they are sadistic or they thought it would help me overcome my fear of them.

Does it scare you to see me? Surprised

1 Reply

@chai2,

oooooooooooooooooh

no likey clowns at all....('ceptin Coastal Rat) or ventriloquist dummies..... Shocked

('ceptin our Reyn, of course) Wink

and

dolls too - didn't like dolls - especially ones that looked real or made sounds - ugh. Only ever had a rag doll called Nellie and my Mom had a porcelain doll called Rose. (Didn't play with dolls - poor 'ole kitties got dressed up in the pram - too much tomboy as a kid).

nah, don't like clowns nor dummies - find them very, very... scary.

Love a mask tho - like the masquerade ball masks - only girlie ones tho, don't like to see a bloke in a mask <shudder>

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technically speaking, Howdy Doody is not a ventriloquists dummy, he is a marionette

he has strings and moves independently of those he interacts with

3 Replies

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

I am not afraid of clowns (except the one in "It"), but I was always afraid of ventriloquist dummies.
My parents gave me a Howdy Doody one for Christmas one year -
either they are sadistic or they thought it would help me overcome my fear of them.

U coud re-gift it.

0 Replies

@djjd62,

djjd62 wrote:

technically speaking, Howdy Doody is not a ventriloquists dummy, he is a marionette

he has strings and moves independently of those he interacts with

ugugugug....

even worse, he moves on its own.

slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch....

1 Reply

@chai2,

djjd62 wrote:

technically speaking, Howdy Doody is not a ventriloquists dummy, he is a marionette

he has strings and moves independently of those he interacts with

chai2 wrote:

ugugugug....

even worse, he moves on its own.

slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch....

A nice .44 special revolver, loaded with hollowpointed slugs
woud turn it into splinters real quick.

1 Reply

@chai2,

Hi there,
You said on mark's thread you wanted a philosopher's perspective on this clown thread, so here is mine.
I am not afraid of clowns. In fact, in thinking about it clowns are some of the most honest people in the world. They do not hide the fact they are hiding something, and for that I appreciate their art greatly.
Clowns are not always funny, but at a recent graduation ceremony I attended, a clown gave the graduation speech. It was utterly fantastic. Funny, yet extremely moving and clever.
Most people are clowns hiding their masks behind what they believe to be normal.

And that is my philosophical two sense.

A Lyn

2 Replies

@A Lyn Fei,

A Lyn Fei wrote:

Hi there,
You said on mark's thread you wanted a philosopher's perspective on this clown thread, so here is mine.
I am not afraid of clowns. In fact, in thinking about it clowns are some of the most honest people in the world.
They do not hide the fact they are hiding something, and for that I appreciate their art greatly.
Clowns are not always funny, but at a recent graduation ceremony I attended, a clown gave the graduation speech.
It was utterly fantastic. Funny, yet extremely moving and clever.
Most people are clowns hiding their masks behind what they believe to be normal.

And that is my philosophical two sense.

A Lyn

Thank u.

David

0 Replies

@A Lyn Fei,

A Lyn Fei wrote:

Hi there,
You said on mark's thread you wanted a philosopher's perspective on this clown thread, so here is mine.
I am not afraid of clowns. In fact, in thinking about it clowns are some of the most honest people in the world. They do not hide the fact they are hiding something, and for that I appreciate their art greatly.
Clowns are not always funny, but at a recent graduation ceremony I attended, a clown gave the graduation speech. It was utterly fantastic. Funny, yet extremely moving and clever.
Most people are clowns hiding their masks behind what they believe to be normal.

And that is my philosophical two sense.

A Lyn

You know what?

I don't think I have any idea what philosophy is supposed to be, because that doesn't sound any different from what all us troglodytes have been saying, taking into consideration our differing opinions.

So, like, that was philosophical?

1 Reply

@Reyn,

I get the heebee jeebees and chills. It is like a bad dream as you look just like my doll.

1 Reply

@djjd62,

My Howdy doody doll was a ventriloquists dummy with instructions on how to talk without moving your lips. I did get quite good at it too. Until Howdy's head fell off.

0 Replies

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