Just as a little disclaimer, I'm not pretending to be an expert on this. I only know what I read in my research. So if anything is wrong, or even if you just have an opinion on this subject that you'd like to share, feel free to correct me or give your input.
In recent days, social media has been taken over by clown talk. Reports of sadistic looking clowns have been pouring in from Greenville, SC and now in other states across the US. These clowns, though, are seemingly so elusive that local authorities can't even grab or find them, even if they leave immediately after a call for a clown sighting comes in. While the reports are disconcerting, I just want to know why and what's the point? I know my last two articles concerning these creepy jesters have asked the same questions, but I have found two possible theories about what might be happening.
Ever heard of the Juggalos? No? Well, I didn't either until I started researching for this article. Juggalos is a term used to describe the fans (who are also considered, by some, to be a cult) of the horror-core (hardcore hip-hop) group Insane Clown Posse (ICP). The fan-base gets its name from one of ICP's songs, "The Juggla," and they even have a festival every year called "The Gathering of the Juggalos", or just simply, "The Gathering." At this gathering, many fans paint their faces to look like clowns (like the members of ICP). Even when they aren't at the gathering, some fans still paint their faces in homage to ICP and their fellow Juggalos "family" members .
Like any religion, band, TV show, etc. with a large following, there are some bad apples. The Juggalos as a whole are not bad or violent, but there is a sub-group of the fans that are. They believe in the same "family" ideals as the rest of the fan-base but they take their ideals to the extreme in the form of street-gang violence.
One theory going around is that some of these clowns being spotted (the ones trying to abduct children and the ones wielding weapons) are members of the sub-group of violent Juggalos. If this theory is true, then it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or a child goes missing.
The other theory (and the one that seems most likely to me) is that the clown sightings in all the other states are merely copycats, encouraged by media attention. Seeing how much attention the clowns in Greenville, SC got could have encouraged some trouble-causing teenagers (or adults) to go around dressed as clowns. There was even a "clown" that showed up across the street from my school in Buckhannon, WV the other night. Supposedly, he was just trying to scare us college kids. Even if he's only showed up once so far, he's a pretty good example of a copycat.
As far as the SC clown-ordeal is concerned, I can't even begin to imagine where the clowns in Greenville came from. The other clown sightings, though, I believe are copycats. Whether these copycats mean to harm people or not, I couldn't tell you, but I'm hoping they're just trying to scare people. With that thought, though, another question is brought to mind: If all these clowns are popping up now, what's Halloween night going to be like?
