I am all for having a sense of humor. My sarcastic nature almost guarantees I will remark on something I find ridiculous or dissuading to try and spin it into a less intimidating concept. Are we taking this clown epidemic a little too far, though?
People are legitimately scared about the clowns. I have heard peers, as well as strangers, claim in person or on social media that they are sleeping with knives, walking with pepper spray or fleeing the country. I understand that people are attempting to bring light and humor to this situation because of the unknown cause and creepy demeanor of the whole thing. There have been over 100 clown sightings thus far, but the amount that have resulted in actual attacks are fewer than 20. A teenager in Pennsylvania was stabbed to death because he had a clown mask, but the mask was pushed up onto his head, so his face was revealed. This is not exactly the typical clown sighting we have been hearing about.
Angela Chen in her article "The 2016 clown panic: 10 questions asked and answered," makes the point that 400,000 people die every year from Global Warming, yet there is more hysteria over creepy clowns than the future of our planet. People at Pennsylvania State University stormed campus and nearby streets to participate in a "clown hunt." Too much? Maybe. There is something to be said about our generations ability to raise awareness for anything, though. Sure, we may pick odd or "the wrong" causes to bring attention to, but at least we passionate about things.
Professional clowns, ironically enough, are saying that people are not taking this matter as seriously as they should. Many fear for their lives because of this fiasco. Social media and youth interest in this odd situation are, in essence, manifesting an unnecessary frenzy. The novel nature of this story is resulting in a media spotlight on every clown sighting and story, real or otherwise, that people post about.
So, are we taking this whole thing too far? Although I do not think putting humor into anything is a bad thing necessarily, I do think we are choosing the wrong subject to bring so much attention to. I know Global Warming is not a lighthearted topic, but can you imagine if college kids threw a riot for it? The press would have an actual matter to research. We have a lot more to offer and I think we should start showing off. We may not have the most conventional ways of supporting a cause, we sure know how to stir the pot.
