0:59
- ABC News
- October 29, 2016
How Clowns Went From Funny to Scary
Social media has helped fan the fire of America's clown hysteria, experts say.
0:59
Some schools have banned clown costumes during the Halloween season, and some police departments are even warning people against dressing up as clowns for their own safety.
“The problem is that someone dressed like a clown could scare someone and there’s a possibility, a possibility you could end up with someone getting shot,” said Lt. Mike Bandish of the Palm Bay Police Department earlier this month.
“This is what a [law-abiding] clowns look like,” Richard K. Jones of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in Hamilton, Ohio, wrote on Twitter in September, together with a photo of himself and a few friendly-looking clowns.
This is what law abiding clowns look like.. pic.twitter.com/VSXlVXnC3D
— Richard K. Jones (@butlersheriff) September 30, 2016
At one point earlier this month, the hysteria was so widespread that \"It\" author King himself found the need to speak up, asking fans to “cool the clown hysteria.”
Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteria--most of em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 3, 2016
The people taking the fall for all these clown incidents are those who have dedicated their life’s work to making people laugh: According to experts, negative images of clowns are harming clowning as a profession.
In a survey asking 1,341 volunteers ages 18 to 77 to rate the creepiness of varying occupations as part of the Knox College study on the nature of creepiness, clowns topped the list, followed by taxidermists, sex shop owners and funeral directors.
San Francisco-based clown Brian Wishnefsky, 62, compared the bad publicity to a modern-day witch hunt.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/HT-sparky-clown-02-jef-161028_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Wishnefsky, a self-taught clown, has been making children laugh at Bay Area birthday parties for more than 31 years. He told ABC News he has rarely run into children (or adults) who were scared of him.
Wishnefsky said that those “fanning” the scary clown fire simply “need a scapegoat” for their anger and have picked “someone that has no way of fighting back.”
“Clowns are the sacrificial victim,” Wishnefsky said. “There’s no anti-defamation league for clowns.”
Wishnefsky can make up to $200 or more for a 90-minute act, he said. Although he’s still working the birthday party scene on a regular basis, he said he's experienced a drop in business.
“Those children are missing out on a clown that they would have loved,” he said. “The clown-haters are trying to make it so everyone hates clowns and drive them out of business.”
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/HT-sparky-clown-01-jef-161028_4x3t_384.jpg\")
New York City-based comedian and clown Ambrose Martos, who performs for children at pediatric centers in tri-state area hospitals, called clowning an “amazing job” because he gets to bring laughter and joy, as well as a welcome distraction, to kids who are facing quite serious circumstances.
“Clowns are needed to lighten up dramatic situations and let people relax and forget about the troubles that they’re having at the time,” said Martos, who goes by the clown name Dr. Phil E. Buster.
Like Wishnefsky, Martos said he rarely encounters children who are scared of him and that 99 percent of the reaction is positive.
So fear not, clown-lovers: clowns may not have completely been evacuated as a figure of fun, according to Schlozman.
\"They're really nice people who make balloons at kids parties, They really, really love making kids laugh,\" Schlozman said, adding that there will always be a market for that.
And with the remake of King’s “It” pending a 2017 release, it looks like clowns, both the funny and creepy kind, are here to stay.
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