Fear of clowns

[ivanbo2003]

Interesting article about the fear of clowns(Jeff wrote about "it" couple of times):<br><br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"Clowns no laughing matter for more than a few people<br><br>Beth Wallace was stopped at a traffic light when a truck pulled up next to her. As she took a sip from her thermos of coffee, Wallace, 32, a San Francisco resident, glanced at the driver, who turned his head and returned the stare.<br><br>It was then that she saw the ghostly white face and bulbous red nose: The driver was a clown.<br><br>Wallace shrieked and scrambled to lock her car doors, barely noticing the hot coffee she spilled on herself.<br><br>Wallace, a teacher, has been petrified of clowns since childhood.<br><br>"I know it's irrational, but they scare the bejesus out of me," she said.<br><br>The fear of clowns, or coulrophobia, is no laughing matter. Although there are no official statistics, some experts believe that as many as one in seven people suffer from some level of the phobia, symptoms of which can include shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea and overall feelings of dread.<br><br>In October, a plan to erect dozens of clown statues in the fabled circus town of Sarasota was almost scrapped after an outcry from coulrophobes, clown-haters and some in the arts community.<br><br>Coulrophobia is most commonly triggered by a traumatic experience in childhood, said Steven Luel, a psychologist in New York specializing in anxiety and phobias.<br><br>Indeed, that was the case with Wallace. At the age of 6, she met her first clown at the circus, an encounter she still remembers clearly 25 years later.<br><br>"A clown got right up in my face, and I could see his beard stubble under his makeup. He smelled bad and his eyes were weird," she said. "I guess I never got over it."<br><br>Clowns have been around for thousands of years, serving a unique role in many societies. In Egypt and China as far back as 1800 B.C., court jesters were permitted to mock and criticize kings when no one else could.<br><br>But it is precisely this ability to act outside normal social boundaries that makes some people uncomfortable around clowns, experts say. "Clowns can pull off your wig or squirt you in the face with water and generally make fun of you without suffering any consequences," said Derek Lee, a coulrophobe living in New York.<br><br>On ihateclowns.com, one of the many Web sites dedicated to the phobia, an anonymous writer admitted that his fear of clowns stemmed from once being ridiculed by one.<br><br>"I was at a circus when a clown came up to me and said, 'Would you like to see the monkey I have in my box?' Well, of course I did, so I ....<br>"</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060110/FEATURES/601100329/1021/FEATURES02">www.heraldtribune.com/app...FEATURES02</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

One of my guilty pleasures-<br>Bobcat Goldthwait's masterpiece 'Shakes the Clown.'<br>Bobcat wrote, starred, and directed.<br><br>The Boston Globe called it "the Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies."<br><br>A must see. Robin Williams, Florence Henderson, Adam Sandler. <p></p><i></i>

[Sepka]

I have never trusted clowns. I can't recall any particular bad experience that I've had with one, but something about them just stands my fur on end. Nothing horrible that a clown did would really surprise me.<br><br>-Sepka the Space Weasel <p></p><i></i>

[ivanbo2003]

I guess it is because they look very "unnaturally",especially to small children.Add to that the cases of the unfortuned chlidren that got abused by "them"(clowns),or had some negative experience and you have a pretty good picture of what is "cracking" in people who have "clownophobia".<br>I never found them interesting in any way.Actually,I am little scared of them too.Dunno why,I can't really remember if I had any bad experience as a kid(on some party,in circus,whatever).They seem as some really messed up people on the outside(i mean their apperance) <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=ivanbo2003>ivanbo2003</A> at: 2/4/06 5:52 am<br></i>