Clowns-Do they freak you the Frack out?

[seagypsy]

If they freak you out, let's hear why?

For me, they freak me out because I can't trust anything that can turn a Volkswagen Beetle into a hypercube.

[Buddha12]

They don't bother me at all. I se them as just people who are working , trying to make a living making others laugh at them and with them. There are very good clowns and some bad ones too. I liked this clown when I was growing up..........

[seagypsy]

They don't bother me at all. I se them as just people who are working , trying to make a living making others laugh at them and with them. There are very good clowns and some bad ones too. I liked this clown when I was growing up..........

He doesn't look anything like a clown. Maybe I should be more specific. I mean the ones with crazy wigs, big red noses, and face paint.
Like this guy:

[R1D2]

KilljoyKlown don't bother me. An the ones that do are in horror movies. I don't watch them that often any more.

[KilljoyKlown]

KilljoyKlown don't bother me. An the ones that do are in horror movies. I don't watch them that often any more.

This was one of my Halloween clowns.

[KilljoyKlown]

If they freak you out, let's hear why?

For me, they freak me out because I can't trust anything that can turn a Volkswagen Beetle into a hypercube.

How about a House clown?

[spidergoat]

As Patton Oswald said, they are like transvestites that kept going.

[seagypsy]

How about a House clown?

Omg lol. yeah that would freak me out if I saw it. Honestly though, the ones that freak me out the most are the ones who are not obviously intended to be creepy. The ones that come up to you trying to make you an animal balloon and be all sweet freak me out more. Maybe they accentuate the bizarre in us all and that's what creeps me out. I dunno. It's a common phobia so maybe there something deeper or biochemical involved.

[NightFall]

Anything in a mask. It's the hidden face that unnerves me. Once shared a metro pole with a muslim woman in full burka. Not a centimeter of flesh from head to toe, holding the pole through the cloth, just the outline of a hand. Probably the most terrifying 10 minutes of my life. Something about the inability to see and connect with he expression of another human makes me feel threatened.

[KilljoyKlown]

Anything in a mask. It's the hidden face that unnerves me. Once shared a metro pole with a muslim woman in full burka. Not a centimeter of flesh from head to toe, holding the pole through the cloth, just the outline of a hand. Probably the most terrifying 10 minutes of my life. Something about the inability to see and connect with he expression of another human makes me feel threatened.

Subject: Advantage to Being Muslim
http://www.sciforums.com/showpost.ph...postcount=2276

[Buddha12]

He doesn't look anything like a clown. Maybe I should be more specific. I mean the ones with crazy wigs, big red noses, and face paint.

Here are a few more pictures of him with more clown stuff on him. I only wanted to show you what he looked like without the makeup as many times clowns wouldn't wear any makeup but just do like he was doing in that first picture.

[R1D2]

From Wikipedia.
Coulrophobia

"Fear of clowns" redirects here. For the film series, see Fear of Clowns.
Coulrophobia is a fear of clowns. The term is of recent origin, probably dating from the 1980s,[1] and according to one analyst, "has been coined more on the Internet than in printed form because it does not appear in any previously published, psychiatric, unabridged, or abridged dictionary," however the author later notes, "regardless of its less-than-verifiable etymology, coulrophobia exists in several lists".[2] The condition is a specific phobia (DSM-IV Code 300.29).[3]

The prefix "coulro-" may be derived from the Ancient Greek word κωλοβαθριστής meaning "stilt-walker",[nb 1] although the concept of a clown as a figure of fun was unknown in classical Greek culture.[5]

[R1D2]

http://phobias.about.com/od/introduc...lownphobia.htm
a small sample of this page.
Coulrophobia, or fear of clowns, seems to be relatively common. A quick Internet search revealed 16,100 results. There are even websites dedicated to the subject, such as Ihateclowns.com, where coulrophobes gather to share

[Stryder]

I have a hypothesis as to where the phobia originates.

Babies don't start with fully defined senses, instead there senses are merged together to create "Synesthesia". It's the preliminary state of sensory "Divergence" while a baby learns to adjust by toning down inputs it can't handle and constructing strong sensory-related neurological pathway.

During this time a persons face isn't seen in the detail that an adult will see, instead what we take for granted from shadows producing depth perception, is potentially a scary distortion to an infant.

When it comes to clowns, they use make up to increase contrasts in their faces and to young infants those contrasts register with terrifying consequences, so much so it can actually effect them when they grow up.

At least now you know when your pulling faces at a baby what they are seeing is more distorted than some sort of LSD trip.

[seagypsy]

I have a hypothesis as to where the phobia originates.

Babies don't start with fully defined senses, instead there senses are merged together to create "Synesthesia". It's the preliminary state of sensory "Divergence" while a baby learns to adjust by toning down inputs it can't handle and constructing strong sensory-related neurological pathway.

During this time a persons face isn't seen in the detail that an adult will see, instead what we take for granted from shadows producing depth perception, is potentially a scary distortion to an infant.

When it comes to clowns, they use make up to increase contrasts in their faces and to young infants those contrasts register with terrifying consequences, so much so it can actually effect them when they grow up.

At least now you know when your pulling faces at a baby what they are seeing is more distorted than some sort of LSD trip.

I have heard similar hypothesis in regards to people who believe they were abducted by aliens. That perhaps we are remembering something from when we were a baby and the faces look all distorted because a baby's eyes do not focus well enough on the actual face.

My sister suggested alien abduction memories are actually memories of our own birth. I don't know if it holds water but it is an interesting hypothesis.

Anyway, gotta go to bed now.

[R1D2]

The alien delivered me? I didn't think so.

[Repo Man]

“To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kind of scary. I've wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.” - Jack Handey

[Epictetus]

I remember when I was about four (and younger) that I would cry and run to my mum whenever I saw a live clown. So I think there is something latently sinister about them. However, I grew out of it by age five or six as I think most normal people will. Now I only cry and run for my mum when I see politicians.