Ok so what is with this clown hysteria?

[Loowit]

I hadn't heard a thing about the clown thing until yesterday when DD mentioned it when I was driving her somewhere.  Then last night DH got an email from his police department about a credible report that a clown being seen outside of a local middle school.  The clown was hanging out outside the fence and staring at the kids, but left after the kids moved away to go back to class.  The police department is going to be doing extra checks around the school for a while during the day.  My brother also said there are reports of clowns hanging out near schools in the district he works in.  I have no idea if those sightings have been confirmed or not and as far as I have heard there are no threats.

[magnificent_baby]

Umm I haven't seen anywhere where people have thought it was anything other than people in clown costumes. That doesn't make it any less scary knowing it's teenagers and young adults in costumes. It seems to have started as a hoax that spread throughout the country but with hoaxes like this can easily come actual bad people trying to take advantage of the hysteria and try to actually do something bad. I don't know if that has happened yet but it isn't a far cry from how things like this can turn out.

 

Agree.

 

I would have blown this off as a silly hoax, but when one was sighted by numerous people including adults with a weapon very near my kids' schools, that changed my entire perspective of this craze. 

[vonfirmath]

Are you hearing about this in your neck of the woods?

 

Yes. My son is pretty scared with the stories going around school.  They arrested someone yesterday behind at least some of the local threats against schools.  So there are real threats though I'm not sure if real clowns have been seen locally. The kids have the story they are luring kids away into forests with candy and then killing them.

[Anne in CA]

There are creepy clowns in the town 30 miles from here. People are talking about shooting them. They are taking their lives into their own hands with this stupid stunt.

[poppy]

Two of the local high schools were on lockdown last week because of clown threats. No clowns were actually seen according to our local police dept.

.

 

Internet trolls are taking over America apparently...

 

 

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[Garga]

..how would wearing scary clown makeup make a perv more successful at achieving his goals? It doesn't make sense. Still think it is a complete hoax.

 

 

What do you mean by hoax?  That there aren't actual clowns?  That the sightings are fake?

[Jen500]

What do you mean by hoax?  That there aren't actual clowns?  That the sightings are fake?

 

I don't know what she meant, but in my area some people have filed false reports with the police about clowns.

[marbel]

Okay, America.  These are not clowns.  They are stupid kids in clown costumes who read about this on the interwebs and thought it would be fun to run around and scare people ha ha.

 

<snip>

 

This reminds me of something I read somewhere a few weeks (?) ago, maybe when this started.  I think it was in South Carolina, but I am not sure.

 

"Clowns, or people dressed as clowns..."

 

It was funny at the time. 

 

Real clowns or just people dressing up as clowns... whatever.  It's not funny anymore,

 

[sassenach]

Weird, ds just came home talking about this yesterday. He says kids at his school are freaked out. I just wrote it off as the usual middle school hysteria.

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

Someone in a clown costume tried to kidnap a baby at a bus stop in my area yesterday. :scared:

 

I don't think it's a false report (this isn't the first attempted baby-snatching) but rather some mentally disturbed individual jumping on a bandwagon.

[SproutMamaK]

..how would wearing scary clown makeup make a perv more successful at achieving his goals? It doesn't make sense. Still think it is a complete hoax.

Because should a crime actually be committed:

-people will have no idea how tall they were, what colour their hair was, what their face looked like, etc. All they'll remember is "a clown".

-if they get caught, they play upon the very sentiments in this thread. "It was just a stupid prank," "I wasn't ACTUALLY going to hurt someone," "It was just stupid fun," etc. Actual criminals are hiding out under the "stupid prankster" umbrella.

 

How do you tell the difference between a 'prankster' threatening to kill children and a psychopath who actually would? You can't, until they've actually done it. Which is why it's important to treat the threats like actual threats, not write them off as pranks or teenage silliness.

[MrsMommy]

It's a thing here...I wrote about a child's reaction to it on my website yesterday.

[Matryoshka]

Umm I haven't seen anywhere where people have thought it was anything other than people in clown costumes. That doesn't make it any less scary knowing it's teenagers and young adults in costumes. It seems to have started as a hoax that spread throughout the country but with hoaxes like this can easily come actual bad people trying to take advantage of the hysteria and try to actually do something bad. I don't know if that has happened yet but it isn't a far cry from how things like this can turn out.

 

But here's where I have a problem with the way it's being reported.  It's always "clowns are being sighted in our area".  Like "aliens have landed" or "the zombies are coming".  Like they are other, like they come from elsewhere, like they are new to the area, like they have appeared from the woods, or the ether.

 

No, they are people from your area, people from your own community. Most likely teens/young adults. They are not the same clowns traveling the country and hiding in all the bushes; there is nothing supernatural about them.  

 

I know in at least some places there are already laws on the books against using masks to scare or intimidate people.  And laws against perpetrating hoaxes and scares (like the bomb scares kids used to get school closed pull back in the day) - via the internet or writing stupid stuff on the bathroom wall.

 

So I think there should be a message sent.  Not "clowns have been seen" - like there's no agency.  People are not being bitten by werewolves or scratched by zombies and being turned into killer clowns against their will.  They are going out and spending time putting a costume together, and makeup on.  And they're probably not doing it alone, but with friends.  

 

Better reporting would be: "In response to an internet meme, people have started dressing up to scare and intimidate people, and copycats are proliferating.  A reminder to anyone who thinks this would be fun to try, it is against the law and can be prosecuted.  This is not funny or a joke.  If you think this would be funny, cut it out,; if you have a friend or friends who think this would be a lark, tell them to cut it out.  If you find out your kid is doing this, warn them not to. Someone's going to get shot, and it might be you, doofus in the clown suit."

 

It's always funny till someone gets hurt, eh?

 

I also think the way this is being reported emboldens copycats by making it seem like no one can figure out where they're coming from or that they can't be caught.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

It's normal for people (no matter their age) to be afraid of people who are purposefully trying to intimidate them.  Some of the hoax calls may be people who are still trying to intimidate and use up police resources by reporting false sightings.  Some might be imagined.  But the police still have to sort that out.  As people have stated, it isn't about "clowns".  It is about disguised people who are engaging in intimidation and assault.  It could be teens who have a misplaced sense of humor or who want to get out of school by closing the school - just like when kids think it is funny or momentarily advantageous to call in a bomb threat.  Police still have to check out those bomb threats and no one says "come on people, don't  be hysterical.  It's not like it was called in by a real bomber." 

Edited October 6, 2016 by Jean in Newcastle

[Rachel]

It was a "thing" in my area a couple weeks ago. Some teens were intentionally scaring people while dressed as clowns and a man assaulted a woman while wearing a clown mask. I think it has died down now though.

[FaithManor]

..how would wearing scary clown makeup make a perv more successful at achieving his goals? It doesn't make sense. Still think it is a complete hoax.

Because where there are more than one doing this pranking, the criminals are going out with the group. They hope people are assuming they are just pranksters.

 

Same as Halloween night. In terms of anonymity, any child who is approached or any person robbed doesn't have a description of the perp. The make up is a convenient cover and of course many will ignore the person, just anothet prankster, just another costume, just another person chaperoning a tricker or treater.

 

Given you do not live in an area where they are actively looking for one who attempted to drag a child into a van after appearing in a group, you may choose not to take it seriously. Parents here do not have that option.

[poppy]

Did the child being dragged into a car actually happen? I gave heard rumors of 6 clown sightings in my town. Small town. Police issues a report that they have received no first hand reports and are imploring people to stop calling to report rumors.

 

 

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[Murphy101]

I think shooting someone *just* because they are in a costume is ridiculous.

 

I think if someone is purposly terrorizing another just to get some jollies or commit a crime such as kidnapping or robbery - bets are off on getting pissy about how the person they were terrorizing responded to suddenly being terrorized.

 

I have often been astonished that such people who engage in these types of random acts of terror don't get their butt kicked or at least a solid punch in the face for their "prank".

 

A prank to purposely scare someone isn't a prank. It's just someone being an ahole and trying to excuse it by saying "just kidding" as though that makes it okay. No. It doesn't.

Edited October 6, 2016 by Murphy101

[SparklyUnicorn]

Okay, America.  These are not clowns.  They are stupid kids in clown costumes who read about this on the interwebs and thought it would be fun to run around and scare people ha ha.

 

But they are not clowns - it's not like the guys from circuses across America have become suddenly homicidal, or there is some weird clown zombie virus that is transforming regular people into homicidal clowns.  They are also not warping in from an alternate dimension and disappearing again.  They have not been living in the woods as some weird clown subspecies like bigfoot and are now coming out to terrorize the rest of us.  They have not escaped from horror films.  

 

I would say there is a 99.99999% chance these are all regular kids between the ages of say 14-22 that got themselves made up based on internet silliness and think this is hilarious.  There are no clowns.  There are idiot kids in clown costumes pranking.  And idiot kids sending out pics they found online to further the hoax.

 

The hysterical way the media has been writing about it seems like they are actual supernatural clowns like in horror movies.  Uh, no.  

 

LOL, Oh well I know!  I just think it's pretty nutty. 

 

Someone jumped out into the road the other day at my car late at night.  He had a mask on.  What is odder than that is it didn't freak me out.  It's like I just thought, oh brother there is some idiot.  I must be dead inside.  :lol:

[MistyMountain]

I have seen Facebook posts about clown sightings including a group of clowns but they have not committed crimes yet and the police posted that they have not had clown related calls. They definitely risk getting shot here I see lots of memes already about that.

Edited October 6, 2016 by MistyMountain

[SparklyUnicorn]

First time I heard of it was on NPR.  I didn't even see anything on Facebook about it.  Locally there have been issues reported on the news, but no major crimes were reported.  Just mostly people being freaked out and saying they were followed, etc.

 

 

[38carrots]

The media reporting is part of this hysteria. "Clown sightings"? "Reports of sightings"?

[SparklyUnicorn]

The media reporting is part of this hysteria. "Clown sightings"? "Reports of sightings"?

 

Yeah the way it is often worded makes me think they are describing some mutant race or some sort of organized International gang who happen to have a very strange theme. 

[Matryoshka]

The media reporting is part of this hysteria. "Clown sightings"? "Reports of sightings"?

:iagree: This is what I'm saying.

[rmtzc2009]

A local school received a threat via Facebook and that school went on lockdown. Our district released a statement, saying, they dont believe it to be a real threat, more of a prank. We are in IL. I just don't understand the world we live in.

[poppy]

A local school received a threat via Facebook and that school went on lockdown. Our district released a statement, saying, they dont believe it to be a real threat, more of a prank. We are in IL. I just don't understand the world we live in.

 

What was the threat?  

[Lady Florida.]

Yes, there have been several in this area, and even a few arrests of clowns creepy stalking schools. 

 

I don't get why someone would do the clown thing but I also don't understand the fear of clowns. Then again, I've never watched any horror movies with clowns (I don't watch horror movies in general).

[marbel]

What was the threat?  

 

Yeah, I am really interested in exactly what the threats are.  What do they say they are going to do??  

[happi duck]

I read a couple articles and apparently there were creepy clown sightings in the 80s also. The 80s, like now, were also a time of a kind of national anxiety.

 

Aside from people feeling terrorized, I think it's a fascinating topic.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I feel bad for the legit clowns. 

 

 

[Scarlett]

But here's where I have a problem with the way it's being reported. It's always "clowns are being sighted in our area". Like "aliens have landed" or "the zombies are coming". Like they are other, like they come from elsewhere, like they are new to the area, like they have appeared from the woods, or the ether.

 

No, they are people from your area, people from your own community. Most likely teens/young adults. They are not the same clowns traveling the country and hiding in all the bushes; there is nothing supernatural about them.

 

I know in at least some places there are already laws on the books against using masks to scare or intimidate people. And laws against perpetrating hoaxes and scares (like the bomb scares kids used to get school closed pull back in the day) - via the internet or writing stupid stuff on the bathroom wall.

 

So I think there should be a message sent. Not "clowns have been seen" - like there's no agency. People are not being bitten by werewolves or scratched by zombies and being turned into killer clowns against their will. They are going out and spending time putting a costume together, and makeup on. And they're probably not doing it alone, but with friends.

 

Better reporting would be: "In response to an internet meme, people have started dressing up to scare and intimidate people, and copycats are proliferating. A reminder to anyone who thinks this would be fun to try, it is against the law and can be prosecuted. This is not funny or a joke. If you think this would be funny, cut it out,; if you have a friend or friends who think this would be a lark, tell them to cut it out. If you find out your kid is doing this, warn them not to. Someone's going to get shot, and it might be you, doofus in the clown suit."

 

It's always funny till someone gets hurt, eh?

 

I also think the way this is being reported emboldens copycats by making it seem like no one can figure out where they're coming from or that they can't be caught.

I LOL at your proposed report. I would LOVE to hear that from someone in a position of authority. Kids can be really dumb. They just don't think.

[Scarlett]

I feel bad for the legit clowns.

Like poor Ronald. I saw a meme of him talking on the phone.....saying "listen, you guys are going to get me killed".

[Murphy101]

I've never liked clowns. They are not quite right up there with spiders, but ...

 

The last time a big spider surprised me in the dark, I very nearly ripped a towel bar off the wall to beat it to death from my perch on top of the toilet. My husband frantically banging on the door and thus snapping me out of blind panic mode is the only thing that saved my bathroom tiles.

 

Soooo.

 

My dh thinks if a clown wants to surprise/scare me, woe and pity to that poor dumb clown. No gun necessary.

[happi duck]

I think TLC or the History channel, or whatever those insane alien/Bigfoot shows are on, should find a group of dirty-hairy-rednecks with horrible accents who are brave enough to track these evil clowns. They can make traps set with unicycles and red-noses, hunker down with their guns and lanterns while taking turns making the universal call of clown-- the horn honk, then running off like cowards when they hear a noise. I'd watch it.

:) :) :)

 

I saw a photo online:a big bearded guy with a gun and a smiley face balloon as bait

[DragonFaerie]

It's happened here in my tiny, incredibly safe little town.  On Sunday, two eight-year-old girls were walking in their neighborhood and were chased by a clown.  The police were called, but they were unable to find anyone.  This happened maybe a mile from my house.  I've restricted how far my kids are allowed to wander now, but DS is afraid and won't leave the yard.  

[TravelingChris]

IN my state, there have been two different people who made up facebook pages of scary clowns and then issued threats about either blowing up schools or shooting people in schools.  One turned out to be a 25 yo women in another state and one was a teenager in a town near me who issued the threats to school(s) in her area.  I believe both were arrested for making terroristic threats.   IN both cases, schools were locked down and police resources were used.  Threatening to kill students is no joke and not a prank.

 

I loved the original tv movie of IT.  I don't know if I will go see the remake.

[Jean in Newcastle]

If people in Bigfoot costumes or pirate costumes were stalking children, staring at them, trying to lure them or assaulting them, people would be wary of anyone in those costumes- especially if not at a party or venue where you might legitimately expect to see them. Our police have put out media warnings for children to avoid looking for lost puppies or kittens. That's not hysteria but common sense.

 

 

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[VaKim]

We even have a law about masks that I didn't know about until this stuff started.

 

http://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter9/section18.2-422/

[MercyA]

I feel bad for the legit clowns. 

 

I don't. They're creepy as all get-out, too.  :leaving:

[MercyA]

It's happened here in my tiny, incredibly safe little town.  On Sunday, two eight-year-old girls were walking in their neighborhood and were chased by a clown.  The police were called, but they were unable to find anyone.  This happened maybe a mile from my house.  I've restricted how far my kids are allowed to wander now, but DS is afraid and won't leave the yard.  

 

That is horrible.  :mad:

[6packofun]

 It is a stupid prank.  People pretending to have seen them and other spreading the rumor.  Or people putting on a costume to feed the stupid hysteria.

 

No clown has harmed anyone. If you shoot a person for wearing a costume, you will go to jail-- and should go to jail.

 

Well, in our state, people have been accused of dressing as a clown AND trying to lure children into the woods with the promise of candy or even threatening.  Some have been caught carrying axes, machetes, etc. so that "prank" takes it a bit further than some people can just ignore.  OK to shoot them?  Nope, but it's not necessarily just a harmless prank.  Most of the time it's copycats and stupid teens, but with as many as we've seen...I'd hate anyone to put their guard down in case they run into the ONE person using this stupidity to do real harm.  (Again, unlikely, but I think police are right to take it seriously.)

[6packofun]

Here is the latest story in our area: http://www.cleveland.com/garfield-heights/index.ssf/2016/10/instagram_clown_accused_of_mak.html

 

What bothers me most, perhaps, is that this is taking time, energy, and resources away from other more serious community policing needs.

Edited October 6, 2016 by 6packofun

[hjffkj]

My mil works in the main office at a local highschool. When she was over today I asked if they've received any threats and if so what did they do. She said they received threats via Facebook that clowns would be at the school on a specific day and time this week. She said her boss just laughed and it was business as usual at the school. No clowns were seen that day.

 

I'm know the police were aware of the threat and may have had an extra patrol car in the area since they've done that for other local schools.

Edited October 6, 2016 by hjffkj

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't. They're creepy as all get-out, too.  :leaving:

 

Many of them are, but there was one I met growing up at several birthday parties and she was not creepy. 

[MercyA]

Many of them are, but there was one I met growing up at several birthday parties and she was not creepy. 

 

I know, I know...I shouldn't be so prejudiced. I actually knew someone who went to clown college and she wasn't creepy either, although I was always vaguely puzzled by her career choice. And, actually, there was a mother/daughter team at our co-op who dressed up like clowns and did balloon animals and things like that. They were cute rather than creepy, too.

 

I wonder if it's just male clowns whom I find scary? I don't even like Ronald McDonald. I suppose that is terribly sexist of me. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I know, I know...I shouldn't be so prejudiced. I actually knew someone who went to clown college and she wasn't creepy either, although I was always vaguely puzzled by her career choice. And, actually, there was a mother/daughter team at our co-op who dressed up like clowns and did balloon animals and things like that. They were cute rather than creepy, too.

 

I wonder if it's just male clowns whom I find scary? I don't even like Ronald McDonald. I suppose that is terribly sexist of me. 

 

Ronald is weird looking.

 

I can see what you are saying.  Sometimes the make up and costuming looks dark and strange rather than fun and funny. 

[Spy Car]

Everywhere you look it's this crazy clown. Wacky hair, crazy make-up, but the thing that really seems to be freaking people out are the white eye-lids.

 

Definitely a treat, but I think it will go aways soon. Shortly after Halloween.

 

Bill

 

 

[rmtzc2009]

 

What was the threat?

The district didn't say what the specific threat was. Just said a threat was made.

 

The rumor I've heard was the threat was just posting that the clown was going to show up to school xyz on x day at x time. The day/time posted was during regular school hours.

[Murphy101]

There is no such thing as a not creepy clown to me.

[hjffkj]

The rumor I've heard was the threat was just posting that the clown was going to show up to school xyz on x day at x time. The day/time posted was during regular school hours.

This is the threat that the highschool my mil works at got. The threats were posted on Instagram. They ignored it and my mil said no clowns were seen at the school on the day the threat mentioned.