Laughing on the Outside, Crying on the Inside

I was having a conversation the other day with my Mom about the books I'm reading for the 2016 Read Harder Challenge and was lamenting the fact that what I had chosen for my Horror book really wasn't living up to the genre. I'm reading Stephen King's The Stand and while it has been entertaining as a piece of Post-apocalyptic fiction it doesn't really seem like a Horror novel to me. While discussing this she mentioned that I should avoid reading IT and I assured her that I have no intention of ever doing so.

via Goodreads

When I was trying to pick out a Horror novel a person from my local Read Harder group had suggested that I read IT and I told them that I couldn't on general principle, not because I harbor any fear of clowns but for the exact opposite reason. You see, when I was younger my Mom and I were both Professional Clowns. I grew up around clowns and had always found the fact that other people are scared of them to be something of a mystery. It wasn't until I got older and realized how many horror stories use clowns as the monster that I began to understand how common coulrophobia has become.

Mom and I as Violet and Orchid.

That "evil clown" archetype that is so common now really took off in the 1980's with IT and Killer Klowns from Outer Space but had existed before then. The serial killer John Wayne Gacy was known as the "Killer Clown" in the 1970's and even earlier was the creation of the Batman villain the Joker who first appeared in the 1940's. In fact, the archetype has become so common that there is an entire article on Wikipedia about evil clowns that includes a list of their depictions. In 2014 the President of the World Clown Association went on record about "evil clowns" saying:

"Just as a Haunted House event may have a “doctor” wearing surgical gear, carrying a bloody chainsaw, people need to understand that this character is NOT a real doctor. He is a person portraying an evil character in order to scare people. In the same way, people dressed as horror clowns are not “real clowns.” They are taking something innocent and wholesome and perverting it to create fear in their audience." 

 As we talked about the situation a thought occurred to me. This is America, where anyone can sue anyone else over just about anything! Why hasn't anyone filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all professional clowns for defamation of character? Surely the media companies who routinely churn out "evil clowns" should be held accountable for their actions. After all, the perpetuation of the "evil clown" archetype creates a hostile work environment for the professional clown, instigating fear and mistrust of a figure of whimsy and innocence. How much business does the professional clown lose annually because people have been encouraged to fear clowns? Who is looking out for their best interests?! I'm sure there's a lawyer out there who would take the case.

Preferably one who's not afraid of clowns.