Clowns are supposed to be positive and cheery, but these creepy clowns are not. Clowns have been terrifying society at a scary rate, tormenting people all over the country with scare tactics that involve weapons, stalking, threats made on videos, etc to make them run in fear.
According to news site, Heavy, 32 states have reported creepy clowns, and it has been increasing these past months. A school in Reading, Ohio, was closed after a woman was attacked by a person dressed as a clown who threatened to hurt students that attended that school. In Florida, there were video recordings of clowns hiding and scaring people. In Michigan, there were 3 clowns in the woods by a Walmart carrying what appeared to be a hammer or baseball bat. A clown in Indiana was shot and killed by a resident in fear. In Athens, Georgia, an 11 year old girl was so scared of clowns that she brought a knife to school leading her to be arrested for carrying a weapon.
Social media is to blame for a lot of the fear. Heavy states that there have been social media threats to different school by fake accounts with clown names which have caused parents to be concerned. In Alabama, two high school students were arrested for making clown videos that threatened violence. A 10 year old was arrested the same week for making clown threats, too.
However, the problem doesn’t only affect society, but the actual clowns. News site, Philly Voice referenced Shobo Da Clown, Bill Schober, a clown who says that no damage has been made on his business yet. There’s a fear that the imposter clowns will prey on so much fear which will damage a positive clown’s image. Philly Voice states that the biggest victim of the creepy clown madness is the regular clown trying to make a living by entertaining children’s parties. Rand Christensen who happens to be the president of the World Clown Association says that he tries to focus on positivity for the image of a clown, but thinks the imposter clowns should not consider themselves a clown. Some clowns had been badly affected. Cbs12 states that Maggie Vergara is an owner of a Pinky’s Parties business, but she worries that the image of a clown might be ruined by the creepy clown incidents. She feels that this could cause detriments to her occupation. New York Daily says that Clown Wendy Pincus has suffered a shortage on her calender for entertainment. She fears this is a result to the creepy clowns epidemic. Stephen King, famous for the book and movie IT, a horror movie that revolves around a clown tormenting children, stood up for the regular clowns. King tweeted, “Hey guys, time to cool the clown hysteria, most of em are good, cheer up kiddies, make people laugh.”
Creepy clowns vs. business clowns vs. society is the name of the game. The social media and fear from people are spreading around the nation making the future of what is to be of clowns terrifying. With all this creepy clown funny business, people are on edge.