Terry: Clown focus should be on behavior

I’ve got to admit to being just a little confused about all the uproar over clowns.

I’ve seen several columns, stories and Facebook posts about how not funny clowns are and threatening to jail them, beat them, shoot ‘em.

Terry

Whoa, folks. Can’t we all just get along here? After all, clowns are people too.

One of my favorite clowns ever was Red Skelton. He brought a little laughter into our home every week through his pantomime on TV. I can’t remember him ever scaring me.

I remember my grandmother collected a few Emmett Kelly clown ceramics. I can’t say as they creeped me out in any way. I do remember watching the famous Wary Willie clown character created by Kelly on TV though and the bit where he tried to sweep the spotlight from the ring never got old or scary.

Bozo the Clown was another popular TV clown who had his own show for years and became the model for the birthday party clown. TV weatherman Willard Scott even played Bozo and was the first Ronald McDonald mascot. No one could ever say sweet Willard Scott was ever scary.

The most personal encounters I’ve had with clowns were at the rodeo. Those guys were great. They could be hams one minute and in the next they could be saving a guy from getting his guts stomped out by a wild bull.

Alas, rodeo clowns did become sorta scary when they decided to concentrate more on the bulls and less on the crowds and be known as bullfighters.

But bull riders of all skill levels were always glad to see them.

I guess we owe the birth of the scary clown to good old Stephen King. It took the master of the macabre to turn an innocent symbol of childlike behavior into something people would fear.

I’ve actually met a few people who have a deep-seated and professed fear of clowns and I’ll have to admit I’ve picked on them for admitting this phobia to me. Some of the pranks were even a little bit clever. I hope they didn’t injure my targets mentally or physically in any permanent way.

So the root of the clown fear-mongering has developed because idiots think if they do creepy things while dressed as a clown it will grab attention and, as they say online, “go viral.”

I’ve got an idea. How about we forget whether the creep is dressed as a clown, an orangutan or Cinderella and focus on the behavior? If they’re doing something illegal or unsafe, charge them or shame them publicly and to their face. If they’re clowns just being clowns, get over it and move on with your life and let them continue to make people laugh.

Karl Terry writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

[email protected]