# How to stop the Menacing Clown problem. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191 "2016-10-10T22:17:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191/81 "2016-10-12T21:43:16Z")
PSA. CGI clown makeup on footage of Donald Trump hovering over Hillary in the debate. _“Is this cool? Is being a frightening clown cool?”_ 😃 ---
**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 13, 2016, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191/82 "2016-10-13T23:57:48Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > **BigT** , I never said it wasn’t a problem at all. From what I can tell, it’s a very very very small problem of actual people being jerks, coupled with a very very very large problem of mass hysteria. It’s our nation’s equivalent of a vanishing penis epidemic. That’s my question – how many people have actually been arrested for menacing people (or even for just wearing scary clown costumes and standing around in a menacing way) as opposed to taking advantage of the clown hysteria to make threats via social media or phone calls or whatever? ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191/83 "2016-10-14T12:38:40Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > That’s my question – how many people have actually been arrested for menacing people (or even for just wearing scary clown costumes and standing around in a menacing way) as opposed to taking advantage of the clown hysteria to make threats via social media or phone calls or whatever? This whole hysteria reminds me of a Spongebob episode: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPmzRa-sXQs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPmzRa-sXQs) Personally, I can’t wait for the next craze and I hope it involves people dressed in taco truck costumes handing out free tacos. ---
**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 14, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191/84 "2016-10-14T15:30:52Z")
Cecil’s timely column: > **[What’s with all the creepy clown sightings this year?](https://www.straightdope.com/21344402/what-s-with-all-the-creepy-clown-sightings-this-year)** ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191/85 "2016-10-14T17:54:28Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Cecil’s timely column: > > [What’s with all the creepy clown sightings this year? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3310/what-s-with-all-the-creepy-clown-sightings-this-year) Yep, we thought it was time to address this. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191/86 "2016-10-15T05:42:33Z")
The obvious thing to do when you’re menaced by a clown is to go for the jocular. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191/87 "2016-10-15T05:52:14Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Oh good god. Now I want to see a photoshop of Trump standing behind Hillary in the last debate, only wearing clown paint. 😃 Wait-- he wasn’t? I was going to advocate shooting clowns on sight, then go take out Trump. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-stop-the-menacing-clown-problem/768191.md?page=4)