This just in: Kids hate clowns

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on January 16th, 2008

We found a Reuters article about a study by some researchers in England that “found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable.”

And that, “The study, reported in the Nursing Standard magazine, found all the 250 patients aged between four and 16 they quizzed disliked the use of clowns, with even the older ones finding them scary.”

Emphasis ours. Has there been a study in the history of studies that found universal agreement in a sample size this large?

Comedy clubs might take this into consideration when they choose the clown motif when decorating (or re-decorating) the room. The number of comedy clubs that have– for reasons that are unfathomable– chosen to associate modern standup comics with clowns is disturbing.

We here at SHECKYmagazine HQ have never been fearful of clowns. Our attitude toward them has been a mixture of annoyed and bored from a very early age.

Perhaps the four most unashamedly maligned groups over the past 35 years have been lawyers, mimes, clowns and comedians. Probably in that order. So, you’d think we’d have a little sympathy. But, with very rare exceptions, comedians do not relate to clowns, not one bit. And it’s always baffled us as to why we are in any way associated with them. (And spare us the comments about the Auguste and the contra-Auguste and the ur-victim and the anarchist– we ain’t buyin’ it!)

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