Clowns as a manifestation of our collective unconscious

[Magical Realist]

That's what psychologist Carl Jung might say. Much as flying saucers might have been an externalization of Cold War anxieties and the threat of invasion. So why all the hysteria over creepy clowns specifically? We live in uncertain times. Our children need a new stalker for us to worry about. Creepy clowns luring children into the woods is perfect. It is the ideal wolf in sheep's clothing. John Wayne Gacy back from the dead. Pennywise snickering from the sewer again. The ultimate boogy man shutting down late night shenanigans. Watch out for apples with razor blades and Bloody Mary. It's Halloween again! Here's a piece on this:

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politic...py-clowns/

[Yazata]

That's what psychologist Carl Jung might say. Much as flying saucers might have been an externalization of Cold War anxieties and the threat of invasion.

I think that back in the George Adamski days flying saucers and their occupants were originally angels in pseudo-scientific dress. They were originally supposed to be hunky handsome men and babelicious women, come down from the heavens representing some UN-style federation of planets, checking out humans for membership or something. The greys and reptoids only came later. That might have accompanied some 1960's loss of national confidence and the tendency to perceive the universe as a dangerous place. The third stage was the emphasis on government coverups. Now for many ufo nuts the ufos are just an occasion for feelings of alienation against the authorities who are supposedly hiding them.

So why all the hysteria over creepy clowns specifically? We live in uncertain times. Our children need a new stalker for us to worry about. Creepy clowns luring children into the woods is perfect. It is the ideal wolf in sheep's clothing.

Yeah, I think there's a lot of that. Clowns kind of inhabit the uncanny zone that's not quite human, but too similar to us for comfort. They have always kind of creeped people out. And there's the whole idea that their feigned happiness has nothing to do with what the man inside the suit feels. There's a falseness to clowns. That's creepy too.

[Magical Realist]

“The United States is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, yet its inhabitants are strikingly unhappy. Accordingly, we present to the rest of mankind, on a planet rife with suffering and tragedy, the spectacle of a clown civilization. Sustained on a clown diet rich in sugar and fat, we have developed a clown physiognomy. We dress like clowns. We move about a landscape filled with cartoon buildings in clownmobiles, absorbed in clownish activities. We fill our idle hours enjoying the canned antics of professional clowns... Death, when we acknowledge it, is just another pratfall on the boob tube. Bang! You're dead!”
― James Howard Kunstler

[stryder]

I considered the reason for people to fear clowns is likely due to how when a baby their brains processed peoples faces. To my knowledge babies don't see what we see as adults, this is mainly due to their neurological makeup still making connections, so to them they likely see the world with high contrasts, feel or see sound etc. A clown with all their make-up on could quite easily look terrifying through such a distorted perception and that could become embedded into the subconscious of a person as they grow older.

That at least explains Coulrophobia.

As for why the sudden need for kids to dress up to scare people by jumping out at them etc, that's really down to social networking hysteria and perhaps initially an ARG (alternative reality game). The problem is that the "Copycats" that dress up aren't doing something original, they are literally led into being menacing by thinking that it's funny or cool.

For some reason though there doesn't seem to be a sudden increase in Mime artists or Morris Dancers.

[C C]

The earliest instances of the clown concept seem to have "clown-hood" serving a "socio-religious and psychological role [...] functions of priest and clown have been held by the same persons".

But that long, winding history seems kind of tenuous. Far more difficult than trying to connect the "hippie" category in an ironclad or unbroken continuity to the Wandervogel movement.

[Carol]

I was thinking the frightful clown thing that is happening, is is the hippie thing that happened or the beatnik things that happened. A cohort united by a time in history, and reflecting a dominant emotional trend, like the arts are a reflection of our moment in time in a painting, movies, and music. Creating kind of a bio-feedback loop pulling in some and building resistance in others.

Other than the clowns we have young men imitating the Joker from Batman and ending up in prison. Whereas, "All we need is love" by the Beatles was part of a growing anti-war movement.