# Creepy Clown sightings **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 14, 2016, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559 "2016-10-14T22:06:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/1 "2016-10-14T22:06:28Z")
The column was interesting and entertaining, as usual, until I came to a screeching halt at the end. The “Knockout game” was mythical? Read “White Girl Bleed a Lot” or “Don’t Make the Black Kids Angry” by Colin Flaherty. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/2 "2016-10-15T02:09:39Z")
I. Cecil did not call the “knockout game” mythical. II. Colin Flaherty is a well-known race baiter. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/3 "2016-10-15T07:03:20Z")
link to [Cecil’s column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3310/what-s-with-all-the-creepy-clown-sightings-this-year) Link to [MPSIMS thread on this subject](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=803228) Clowns have actually been reported in all states and several other countries. but perhaps Cecil wrote the column before all those reports had come in. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/4 "2016-10-15T07:54:43Z")
[“Holy _shit_, clown attack!”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTuPiHwUFGo) ---
**Author:** ![wanderer2575](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/2acd7d/32.png) [@wanderer2575](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wanderer2575)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/5 "2016-10-15T14:56:01Z")
The simple explanation is this: The people doing this kind of thing have absolutely no imagination. All they can do is duplicate what they see other people doing. One person wandered out in a clown costume, and everyone else follows suit because they’re too f_ **ing pathetic to come up with an original thought to entertain themselves. That’s what happens when people spend every waking moment having hand sex with their f** _ing smartphones instead of actually exploring the world (I know, I overgeneralize). We’ve seen this with planking, twerking, dumping a bucket of ice water over your head, etc. The clown fad will pass, to be replaced with the next “I-gotta-do-that-too-because-I-think-it-makes-me-look-cool-even-though-it-actually-makes-me-look-like-a-f\*\*\*ing-douchebag” fad. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/6 "2016-10-15T15:50:53Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > link to [Cecil’s column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3310/what-s-with-all-the-creepy-clown-sightings-this-year) > > Clowns have actually been reported in all states and several other countries. but perhaps Cecil wrote the column before all those reports had come in. Did you read Cecil’s column? > [@Cecil Adams](#): > > If only there was some simpler explanation. Maybe something like … people are big fat liars? Just because clown sightings have been reported, doesn’t mean they actually happened. ---
**Author:** ![delius1967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@delius1967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delius1967)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/7 "2016-10-15T16:13:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **Cecil Adams** > a crew of Alabama teens were arrested last month for impersonating clowns on Instagram and threatening to unleash violent mayhem on their school How exactly do you “impersonate” a clown? It seems to me that the old saw about how to identify ducks would fit clowns even better. Someone who is dressed like a clown _is_ a clown. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/8 "2016-10-15T21:39:39Z")
A lot of this is down to social media. Threats are regularly being made on social media, both by people pretending to be clowns and people who want to attack clowns. A small but significant subset of these people are making videos of themselves, either dressed as clowns or attacking clowns; I suspect that most, if not all, of these 'clips showing ‘attacks on clowns’ are set-ups, with friends or accomplices taking the part of the beaten-up clown. A very small number of robberies have been carried out by people in clown masks; these probably would have happened anyway, and are unconnected with the ‘evil clown’ trend. Number of actual evil clowns luring kids into woods is probably zero. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/9 "2016-10-15T21:42:10Z")
> [@delius1967](#): > > How exactly do you “impersonate” a clown? It seems to me that the old saw about how to identify ducks would fit clowns even better. Someone who is dressed like a clown _is_ a clown. On social media you don’t even need to get dressed up; you could use a stock photo if you prefer. That’s what the news media are doing. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/10 "2016-10-15T22:10:00Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Did you read Cecil’s column? > > Just because clown sightings have been reported, doesn’t mean they actually happened. Yes I did read it and I never said clowns had been sighted in all states. What I was doing was responding to this from Cecil’s column: > [@](#): > > now it’s the rare state that hasn’t heard some account of clown activity. By press time, one might figure, they may be creeping across the Canadian border. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/11 "2016-10-15T22:19:29Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Yes I did read it and I never said clowns had been sighted in all states. What I was doing was responding to this from Cecil’s column: And the people who are reporting these “sightings” are big fat liars. It’s mostly kids on social media who want to create a scare at their school or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/12 "2016-10-15T23:08:28Z")
And then the social media furor causes a few people to actually get some clown makeup and scare other people. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/13 "2016-10-15T23:37:54Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > And the people who are reporting these “sightings” are big fat liars. > > It’s mostly kids on social media who want to create a scare at their school or whatever. Yeah, just so they can say they clpwned everybody… ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/14 "2016-10-20T22:30:19Z")
Despite Cecil’s averral that it is not illegal to dress in public as a clown that isn’t true everywhere. [It’s now illegal to dress like a clown in public in a Mississippi county.](http://time.com/4539773/clown-ban-mississippi-illegal/) > [@](#): > > Look like a clown and face a $150 fine > > A county in Mississippi has made it temporarily illegal for anybody to dress up as a clown in public—at least until Halloween is over. > > Officials in Kemper County have reacted to the creepy clown craze that has taken over most of the U.S. and other parts of the world by passing an ordinance Monday that makes it unlawful for people to wear a clown costume, a clown mask or even clown makeup in public, the Kemper County Messenger reports. I seem to recall a couple of other local ordinances to this effect. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/15 "2016-10-21T00:01:03Z")
This can’t be constitutional. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/16 "2016-10-21T03:50:42Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > This can’t be constitutional. The Law allows a good deal more leeway for something that’s temporary, has a good reason, and doesn’t hurt anyone seriously. Basically, it’s the same as the “shouting ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theater” exception. ---
**Author:** ![GOLD5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce7236/32.png) [@GOLD5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOLD5)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/17 "2016-10-27T09:34:56Z")
So kids are scared to death of clowns but they play that Gears of War video game with the zombies and the burly ass biker dude as the hero…? OK then… Great article, they forgot to mention Burning Man. Clown noses are some kind of statement about the ridiculousness of society. The people who attend Burning Man and the other copycat festivals which occur every month seemingly nowadays wear clown noses sometimes. Its like a rave culture thing… So they are probably to blame for some of the sightings… Theyre probably on peyote or something too, so… ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/18 "2016-10-27T14:29:30Z")
> [@GOLD5](#): > > So kids are scared to death of clowns but they play that Gears of War video game with the zombies and the burly ass biker dude as the hero…? OK then… They quite happily play video games with creepy clowns too, but actually seeing clowns or zombies or burly ass biker dudes leering at them from a twilight copse is quite another matter. ---
**Author:** ![Ornithikos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Ornithikos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornithikos)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/19 "2016-10-31T14:08:24Z")
I suspect that Creepy Clowns are subconscious projections of Donald Trump, much as Godzilla in Japan is a subconscious projection of the Atomic Bomb. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-clown-sightings/768559/20 "2016-11-01T01:42:47Z")
I’d rather Donald Trump be the projection of creepy clowns. As Master Sean O’Lochlainn remarked to Lord Darcy, “Your lordship should realize that, for many purposes, the best symbol for a thing is the thing itself.”