Imagine this: you’re walking home alone after a long day. It’s dark. You approach a seemingly inconspicuous corner. As you turn this corner, you see something that shakes you to your core: a strange figure with big, frizzy hair and wide, toothy grin. After you regain your composure and a stable heart rate, you realize what is standing in front of you: a teenager wearing a clown mask.
Such has been the case for many unlucky people lately, as reports of clown sightings have skyrocketed over the past few weeks. This “creepy clown epidemic” has even become an internet meme, with thousands of daily posts popularizing hashtags such as #clownscare, #clownhunt2k16, and my personal favourite: #clownpocalypse. Is all of this fuss really justified, though?
Clowns have been spotted all across the U.S. and Canada, with initial reports in late August coming from a town in South Carolina, stating that clowns had been trying to lure children into the woods.
No injuries or deaths have been reported; however, there have been cases leading to arrests, such as one in Virginia where a 13-year-old girl was charged after she messaged a ‘clown’ asking for her teacher to be murdered. A more serious case in Nova Scotia this month involved a clown who tried to grab a child. The man behind the mask was arrested and charged with breaching an undertaking. Several attacks have been reported to authorities but, due to lack of substantial evidence, many are saying that these events are all hoaxes.
In fact most of the alleged “creepy clown” sightings have been nothing more than just a couple of mischievous pranksters looking to give innocent people a good scare.
Some police departments have taken to social media to warn the public about suspicious clown behaviour, while others like the NYPD have stated the clowns are no threat to anyone. A school in Connecticut has even banned clown costumes and any other “symbols of terror” from being worn. An overreaction? Maybe, but let’s not forget that clowns are among the most highly-feared things on our planet.
So, should you be looking to purchase some precautionary pepper spray? Probably not. However, if your irrational fear of clowns is worse than the norm, try to keep an extra eye out this Halloween season.
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