I posted a bunch of awesome clown vids in the description. Check em out, and feel free to recommend more for me to plop in there

An entire industry ruined by fear and superstition. How sad.

One of the reasons why I love the film Alegría (1999) is how positive and wholesome the clowns are being portrayed in there. It's a very magical movie and you should definitely see it if you haven't already.

This is going to sound like a reach, but hear me out. This is exactly why I’m a drag queen. I get to be a caricature of what society has claimed as the “ideal feminine human person” and sometimes not even feminine or human, just an over the top mishmash of traits and characteristics that are generally deemed as “good” in such a way that the audience can connect with me on a real human level, yet I have nary a drop of inhibition about me. I am both everyone in the audience, and no body in the audience all at once, and it’s that disconnect that allows me to make people forget they’re businesspeople or doctors or lawyers for a while and I get to make them have a real, raw, enjoyable human experience. I say all the time we’re just flesh tone clowns without the nose.

You're a good one, aren't ya? I've always loved clowns.

When I was little, there were only two things I liked to draw - snowmen, and clowns. I always loved the creativity and charisma associated with clowns. Scary, funny, grim, ridiculous - clowns always will be the best

I absolutely love clowns even since I was a kid, my acting teachers were also really fond and respectful of them for the discipline they display to their craft. Loved the video, it felt like a love letter to clowns

I'm so glad someone is talking about this! I was shocked when one of my friends said they'd shoot any clown than approached them. I went 😨 That's a person!!

Dude you live im my Persian grandmother's living room...love it...

Brilliant. I saw your horror stuff first but now I’m in it for your commentary in general.

Thanks for this!

"Anti-clown violence." I can't help it, that made me laugh.

As to clowns in general, I think that them being thought of as sinister figures has a few reasons. First - hiding behind the "mask", behind which anything can hide, especially if you have rich imagination as a child and a clown's make-up is botched and not friendly and pleasing. Here I have to mention John Wayne Gacy. Even if he wasn't a monstrous serial killer, the way he painted his face was creepy enough to scare instead of entertain. I think it would take a really innocent, cheerful and trusting child to see anything positive in that painted face and I'm sure that if I had seen him being 5 or 8 or 10 years old I would have run away screaming. Plus, there was, of course "It" by King and the TV adaptation, which lots of children saw and if u see something scary at a tender age (I saw Kubrick's "Shinning" when I was 11 and couldn't sleep for a month, curling in a fetal position in my bed against the wall but after that I watched it again and again and it is one of my favorite movies) it stays with you. Those are some of the reasons why clowns might be treated that way and they are victims of certain occurrences in pop culture.

Thank you for this video! I love clowns a lot and wanna be one some day. The negativity needs to stop!

Unironically considering taking clown classes now

I realize I'm about a year late but I feel compelled to comment I absolutely love this video essay! its not often I see something actually showing clowns in a positive light anymore. Although I'm not a clown in a classical sense it is a centralized style I incorporate into my work as a drag performer. Even though I often incorporate horror the main goal is more about expressing or working through my own mental health and emotional hurdles. I think the artforms of drag and clown lend well to each other because as you stated, its about creating a space to fail in and I believe drag achieves a similar catharsis. Even more importantly, I think they create a space to truly be yourself, whether that's through emotional expression, gender expression or otherwise. So thank you so much for putting a media piece like this out there, it truly means a lot

I have hated clowns all my life, but this may have changed my mind.

OH THANK GOD FOR YOU! THANK GOD FOR YOU!!!

Hell yeah great vid!!!!! Never liked the clown aesthetic but you just helped me realize I LIVE for the sensibility!

I have clown noses hidden all over my house Under couch cushions behind books inside shoes on the shoe rack because you never know when you might need to make someone laugh to break a moment It also works with very small stuffed animals if you can get the timing and placement right On time I bought three identical palm sized spherical key chain chickens and I would move them around places and I got to seem like I was doing actual magic because I kept moving them around and the actual number of chickens wasn't known until a day and a half later

I hope more people see this video. I occasionally listen to this while working in the garage and it sort of grounds the world in a strange way.

Seriously thinking about buying a clown nose right now...

I like Terry Pratchett's portrayal of clowns, they're a highly respected performer class known for their great dexterity and adaptability

That was lovely. Thanks.

Underrated channel.

This was a very well-thought out video, I just found your channel and I love it! Can't wait to see more stuff from you

I love your horror videos but I'm glad you kept this up because it's great to see so many other people enjoy clowns. Thanks for all of the clown vids!

Hey, I just found your channel, and all your videos are very well made and insightful! Great work!

Well said your a deep thinker my friend you made me think about clowns differently I've never hated them but they can be freaky I usually feel bad when I see an clown because I know how much people dont like them and it's like a dieing art that makes me sad

Going through your videos again, missing the new stuff from you, dude, your thoughtfulness and authenticity is a rare thing these days.

I remember as a kid really liking the look and idea of clowns (especially jugglers) but i once went to a circus and there was a famous clown whose act was mainly based around physical comedy, and at the end he was carried off by two people and everybody was laughing, and i just felt really bad because i didn't understand the joke, i had a hard time distinguishing between acted emotions. I now theoretically understand the joke and I appreciate the skill that goes into executing physical comedy stuff, but I still find it hard to like things where the punchline is "this person act like they're getting hurt"

this video made me really think and kind of very sad.. Very well done!

Hippie Calico brought me here :D I love your stuff!!

I love this. I feel like I'm wearing a mask that I never get to take off lest I be treated with suspicion and contempt for failing to suppress the full force of my emotional response into behaviors that are deemed socially acceptable. I have particularly intense emotions as a result of atypical neurology and to let that show has generally resulted in social rejection and mockery for my apparent hysteria (and I use that word specifically for it's history in which emotionality was coded as feminine and lesser, and pathologized due to the established social norms encouraging the suppression of one's emotional reality as a prerequisite for stength). The fear of failure and humiliation and vulnerability motivate this almost automatic mask adoption we all participate in for the sake of social acceptance. I wonder if anyone realizes the damage that is wrought by the association of emotional display with weakness. Women are dismissed as crazy and overemotional and men are taught to contain their emotional display to the point of an impossible and inhuman level of repression ("boys don't cry" after all or so they say). I think your examination of the value of clowns speaks to these concepts in an interesting way. Clowning as a conscious act of dropping the mask used to live up to societal expectations of self presentation while also taking on a purposeful character defined by their emotional spontaneity is a fascinating way of approaching accessing emotional honesty despite our implicit social conditioning to hide our true emotions from others and as a result, sometimes even from ourselves. I don't have the energy to edit my sentence structure but maybe the rambling run ons will help to illustrate the emotion behind the words. Yes you could argue that I'm over analyzing but I think that's an unhelpful concept that seeks to discourage the examination of the unspoken assumptions within our social norms that people often simply take for granted and give no further thought.

I really needed this. Great video

As someone who appreciates clowns as an adult (more from the aesthetic standpoint), but was afraid of them as kid, I totally get the expressing yourself angle. I think for some kids and even adults the overly garish outfits and makeup are just freaky, even if you got a good clown behind it. Not to mention the scary clowns in culture, like the Joker and Pennywise, even real-life ppl like John Wayne Gacy, certainly add to the negative reputation. This is why a scary clown can work, horror coming from the face of a friend. But the default clown is one who just wants to make ppl smile and laugh, as it should be. Also, one more thing I just thought, clownis used was used as an insult towards ppl with bad takes and the intent is that they shouldn't be taken seriously, they are ridiculous and just funny.

I’ve never considered the goodness that clowns can bring into the world, and I really appreciate the perspective of this video! Thanks for making clowns a little less scary!

Many of us grew up watching Red Skelton and Marcel Marceau. The Best Clowns can make you cry. 💜

I adore clowns!! My mother and sister are both scared of them because they "feel like they can't see the person underneath, like they're wearing a mask"; I'm not scared of them BECAUSE of this. I know the clown is a person in makeup.

You remind me of Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds in all the best ways. I definitely mean this as a compliment

Awww

I have two clown tattoos. I've loved clowns since I was a child. I don't understand the fear.

Clowns are, in a strange way, a reflection of all the good and equally bad in the world. The innocents of 'clowning around' can quickly be twisted into manipulation and trickery depending on who's doing the clowning. For me, it also triggers the uncanny valley and thus strange distrust. Not that watching IT at an impressionable age helped much either. Deep down, one can glean a pretty solid understanding of someone's psyche just by digging into their feelings of clowns.

There's a great short story by Thomas Ligotti, Last Feast of the Harliquin, that discusses clowns in culture a bit. It's definitely Lovecraftian. I liked it. There's a free audio of the story on YT--easy to find.

Actually the Red Bastard, that I've never heard of but thanks to you, reminds me of that prehistoric Venus figurine. Surely that was not his intention.

something juggalos understand

The great comics of the silver screen (Keaton, Loyd, Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy) were clowns. Then three words happen: John Wayne Gacy...

Good topic

You should check out "I clowns" by Federico Fellini, it's a true masterpiece. I adore the art of clowning and I'm so sad our society feels this way towards clowns. It speaks volumes about our societies collective unconscious, that we fear laughing at ourselves.

One ran up to me at a circus when I was 3. That's my reason I dislike clowns. Especially mimes.

Based. I love a clown

I added some comments below. Again, I'm sorry to say that but you are the most interesting and the most hansome man I've ever seen. I wish I could at least meet you and touch your hand.... Life is so unfair - why did I f..ing have to find you on youtube??? I'm really sorry... Don't pay attention. ❤

The perception of clowns changed pretty negatively thanks to John Wayne Gacey

you should listen to the podcast "ridiculous: life of a clown"! brilliant and very informative and they reiterate a lot of the ideas you're expressing here in depth

you shouldve talked about the joker too

At the root of it is the uncanny valley. Clowns, mannequins, ventriloquism dummies, old dolls: they all resided in the uncanny valley. Clowns at one time made heavy use of magic and comedy, especially over the top physical comedy, to entertain. But if you take away the laughs and jokes and tricks, if you take away the active entertainment piece, you come away with what looks a little bit like a person and a little bit like nothing else that exists. Think about the difference between a clown honking a horn and giggling and performing tricks, magic, laughing and interacting with an audience. Contrast that with a person dressed in clown make-up just staring at you. Silent. Maybe expressionless, almost cold and unfeeling. Maybe smiling what seems like a little too long, a little too hard. Take the reminder of humanity away, and it just doesn't *look* quite right. It makes perfect sense that a clown would be used in the context of horror.

I’m scared of clowns because of Gacy I know that seems unfair to generalise to a whole population due to one rogue clown but it’s whatever..

Do you have that quote written down?

I love clowns they are my favorite, I love them coz they are sweet & caring & thoughtful, also I have a playlist full of clown videos kzfaq.info/sun/PLMBAszIT9BTtzCMdMGpu_lkjy8MLW9g4G

Why is video so slow???

Clowns are one iteration of The Fool, a trickster or jester (or simpleton) that trade in satire and mockery. I suppose the 'meanness' of clowns could be off-putting, but it's also revealing-- some people can't take a joke, and a joke aimed at a powerful person could reveal that the powerful one is really the fool...or is a humorless jerk. I always thought clowns were *meant* to be kind of sinister. They trick and tease and remind us that when we do as the clown urges us to do, we often get tricked.