Do you take coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns, seriously?

[Giggling Ghast]

I'm not afraid of clowns; I just find them grotesque.

In Hitman: Blood Money, I generally made a point of trying not to kill civilians, but I did murder the one clown about to perform at the children's party. Clowns are already dead inside anyway.

[Eldan]

I'm not afraid of clowns; I just find them grotesque.

In Hitman: Blood Money, I generally made a point of trying not to kill civilians, but I did murder the one clown about to perform at the children's party. Clowns are already dead inside anyway.

I find that pretty damn insulting. I have friends who clown, some of them volunteer at hospitals and old people's homes and they are the kindest, nicest, most perpetually warm-hearted people I know.

[Icewraith]

I find that pretty damn insulting. I have friends who clown, some of them volunteer at hospitals and old people's homes and they are the kindest, nicest, most perpetually warm-hearted people I know.

I agree, a good clown can do some absolutely mind blowing stuff that's actually funny. A lot of physical comedy was developed from clowning or is actually a clown routine with the makeup and serial numbers filed off passed through three different fences. But bad or even mediocre clowns aren't funny, clowning has been subverted into a very common horror trope, and they give a certain small percentage of the population utter terror instead of joy.

[Drakeburn]

To me, I just find clowns plain annoying.

At least, the only clown I've ever encountered.

In my opinion, the fear of clowns isn't as bad or serious as other fears, depending on the circumstances.

[Themrys]

I assume that most people here have an idea of what coulrophobia, or the irrational fear of clowns, is. My question is this, do you take the condition of coulrophobia seriously, or do you look at people claiming to suffer from it as attention seekers, because in your mind there's nothing scary about clowns. I'm asking this question about coulrophobia in response to this article about professional clowns complaining about Twisty, the serial killer clown from AHS: Freak Show and from posts on other forums dissmissing coulrophobia.

As a phobia is, by definition, an irrational fear, the question whether clowns are actually scary or not is not relevant here. If people claim to have that serious condition, I take it seriously, of course. Just as I would an irrational fear or spiders. Or buttons. Or holey surfaces.

On the other hand, I don't take jokes about clowns being scary for everyone seriously. I don't find clowns very amusing, personally, the red nose and white face just isn't funny in my opinion, but I suppose they can be funny if they're good comedians.

[factotum]

As a phobia is, by definition, an irrational fear

Not all phobias are irrational--for instance, a fear of heights (acrophobia) has some rationale behind it, because falling from a height can hurt or kill.

[FinnLassie]

Not all phobias are irrational--for instance, a fear of heights (acrophobia) has some rationale behind it, because falling from a height can hurt or kill.

There's a rational and an irrational fear of heights. For an example, I can't climb on a chair because I most likely will get a panic attack up there. It's rather irrational, but I can't control it. But for example standing on the side of a cliff and feeling anxious? Completely normal.

[BannedInSchool]

Not all phobias are irrational--for instance, a fear of heights (acrophobia) has some rationale behind it, because falling from a height can hurt or kill.

You can die from falling over from standing!

[sktarq]

Yeah I take seriously with the caveat that most people who say they have it are really expressing a deep dislike.
Just because spiders freak you out and you dislike them does not make you arcaniphobic.
I think the fear of clowns get somewhat a bad rap because while an irrational fear of something that can pose a threat seems like an unfortunate overreaction those people who have phobias about "non-threatening" stimuli seem to be less "reasonable" and to more open to doubt or ridicule. Clowns get to fill a spot in between because they are intellectually non-threatening but emotional can be (uncanny valley effect plus unpredictability plus often violations of personal space). That dissonance doesn't help to take problems coming from them seriously as people find it difficult to rationalize the issue and thus react emotionally-often by lashing out.

[Bulldog Psion]

Yes, I think it's a genuine phobia of certain people, though it's fortunately not one I experience myself.

A clown is basically someone dressed and painted up to look almost human, but not quite. That's almost a dictionary definition of what humans seem to find most terrifying, a creature that is close to human yet alien. Look at most of humanity's monsters -- werewolves, vampires, demons, ghouls, etc. etc. -- and you'll see that consistently, people get the creeps from stuff that is right on the border of being human, yet different.

Clowns also wouldn't work as a horror film trope if people didn't have some fear of them already. There's a reason, say, why butterflies are seldom used as horror film antagonists.

I also don't think it's just faking on the part of those who genuinely have the phobia. My late uncle had it, and one time one of his friends rather nastily tricked him into picking up a guy dressed as a clown at the airport. By the end of the drive, my uncle was trembling, pale, and sweat was running down his face. Now, someone acting could shake or tremble, but I doubt they could command their sweat glands to produce beads of perspiration on a day with mild temperatures.

[noparlpf]

Not all phobias are irrational--for instance, a fear of heights (acrophobia) has some rationale behind it, because falling from a height can hurt or kill.

There's a difference between acrophobia and a healthy respect for heights. I have excellent balance and coordination and have safely jumped down from five meters before—but I have to steel myself to do it first because even that small height unnerves me, even having done it before (working up incrementally, not just starting at five meters like a moron) and knowing I'll be fine. Standing on a platform twenty feet up makes me uncomfortable, even with chest-high railings and a steel grating floor.

[TheThan]

Yeah I think a lot of people confuse the issue. They use the word phobia like we use the word Xerox or Kleenex or Band-Aid. They’re not describing that intense irrational fear that a phobia describes. They’re talking about an extreme dislike.

So this begs the question: are there different levels of a phobia?
something like "coulrophobia1", meaning a mild fear of clowns. Or "coulrophobia10" meaning an extreme or even violent fear of clowns".
what do you think.

[PallElendro]

Funny, I was just looking at a PAYDAY 2 Crimefest article and saw the word.

No, I don't. People are only scared of clowns because they watched It or because they've got weird colourings on their face dissimilar to any human's. Take it off and all you've got left is a human probably screaming internally.

[Tvtyrant]

I was severally injured due to a phobic response I had on the job before, so I tend to take phobias seriously. People can be legitimately afraid of many things, it is important that we take those fears at face value and try to find how to help them (this is why I hate the way we paint anti-LGBT beliefs, since actually homophobia would be something to pity. Imagine actually being out of your mind with fear around someone...)

[Hiro Protagonest]

Funny, I was just looking at a PAYDAY 2 Crimefest article and saw the word.

No, I don't. People are only scared of clowns because they watched It or because they've got weird colourings on their face dissimilar to any human's. Take it off and all you've got left is a human probably screaming internally.

I suppose phobia of knives is also false because any trauma or inate fear wasn't actually caused by the knife, since it's inanimate?

In a world where agoraphobia exists, it's easy for me to take fear of clowns seriously.

[Zrak]

I will also never understand why people, at least on the net and in fiction, seem to operate on a base assumption that all clowns are terrible, sad and unfunny.

All happy clowns are the same; each terrible, sad, and unfunny clown is terrible, sad, and unfunny in his own way.

[factotum]

I have excellent balance and coordination and have safely jumped down from five meters before

Sure it was 5m? You'd be doing better than 20mph when you hit the ground if you dropped from that height, which seems like a pretty hefty impact speed!

[TheWolfe]

There's a rational and an irrational fear of heights. For an example, I can't climb on a chair because I most likely will get a panic attack up there. It's rather irrational, but I can't control it. But for example standing on the side of a cliff and feeling anxious? Completely normal.

I kind of have a weird fear of heights. I am terrified of standing on something as small as a chair or table, let alone the roof of my house, to the point that I have to steel myself and take deep breaths to be able to screw in a lightbulb. However, I am not scared of high towers with railings, planes, rollercoasters, or observation platforms at all. My guess is that it's because I know that rollercoasters are as safe as they can be, and that I can't really be hurt in them. However, when standing on a chair, there is a very real chance that I screw up and fall off and break my neck, because there are no safety measures.
I don't know if it qualifies as a phobia, since I don't know if that's irrational per se.

However, my real phobia is a fear of bones, obtained when I nearly died from choking on a chicken bone when I was 8. Now when I get served any type of meat that might have bones in it, I ask if contains bones. If it does, I will refuse it if the social situation allows it (I once claimed to be a vegetarian to prevent having to eat chicken wings), or, if I really have to eat it, I will carefully dissect that piece of meat and check every part for bone, to make sure I won't put a splinter of bone in my mouth. Needless to say, I won't enjoy the meal. It's utterly paranoid, and I know I'm way more likely to choke on my drink or on a piece of vegetable or something, but it's something I have. I guess that's a phobia.

I do believe there are people who have a genuine phobia of clowns, but many just hate clowns or think they're creepy, and a phobia is different from dislike. I can't stand beans, but that doesn't mean I have a phobia of beans. I think dolls are creepy, but I don't have a doll phobia.

[noparlpf]

Sure it was 5m? You'd be doing better than 20mph when you hit the ground if you dropped from that height, which seems like a pretty hefty impact speed!

It's been a while since I took physics and it's entirely likely that I just made up whatever equation I just made up, but I'm getting about 15mph. Anyway, yeah, but it was onto grass, not asphalt or concrete. I think the farthest I've jumped down onto concrete was between 3-4 meters. I'm pretty out of shape now though; still haven't recovered from last year's ulcer, so I'm not going to be doing any of that now anyway.

[factotum]

It's been a while since I took physics and it's entirely likely that I just made up whatever equation I just made up, but I'm getting about 15mph.

v^2 = u^2 + 2as, where u = initial speed, v = final speed, a = acceleration and s = distance. Plugging in u = 0, a = 9.8 m/s^2 and s = 5m gives us v^2 = 98, so v = 9.9 m/s or a little over 22mph.

[Eldan]

I kind of have a weird fear of heights. I am terrified of standing on something as small as a chair or table, let alone the roof of my house, to the point that I have to steel myself and take deep breaths to be able to screw in a lightbulb. However, I am not scared of high towers with railings, planes, rollercoasters, or observation platforms at all. My guess is that it's because I know that rollercoasters are as safe as they can be, and that I can't really be hurt in them. However, when standing on a chair, there is a very real chance that I screw up and fall off and break my neck, because there are no safety measures.
I don't know if it qualifies as a phobia, since I don't know if that's irrational per se.

My own fear of heights is mainly concerned with going down ladders and staircases. Do I ever hate steep staircases. Even if there's handholds and good lighting and secure footing, after a flight or two, I'll be shaking and sweating.
Apart from that, there's climbing up things like rock walls and standing near precipices, which I also don't like much, but which isn't too bad. Towers with railings are perfectly alright.

[Frozen_Feet]

I have a hard time taking any phobia seriously. They're irrational, meaning they're triggered regardless of whether there's any actual danger. I know arachnophobics who get pale at the mere mention of spiders. People with mild forms of phobia should just grow up and learn to deal with it. Most people do have irrational fear of spiders, insects, snakes, the dark etc., but non-pathological versions of these can be overcome with just facing the object of fear and learning it isn't that awful.

[Hiro Protagonest]

I don't think I have a phobia of heights, but I'm apparently weird in that I get more anxious when looking up on a ladder or such. I can't see my feet when I'm looking up.

[noparlpf]

v^2 = u^2 + 2as, where u = initial speed, v = final speed, a = acceleration and s = distance. Plugging in u = 0, a = 9.8 m/s^2 and s = 5m gives us v^2 = 98, so v = 9.9 m/s or a little over 22mph.

Oh yeah, I remember now. I just kind of made up something totally different in my head. Yeah...physics was actually five years ago now, whoa.

I have a hard time taking any phobia seriously. They're irrational, meaning they're triggered regardless of whether there's any actual danger. I know arachnophobics who get pale at the mere mention of spiders. People with mild forms of phobia should just grow up and learn to deal with it. Most people do have irrational fear of spiders, insects, snakes, the dark etc., but non-pathological versions of these can be overcome with just facing the object of fear and learning it isn't that awful.

Exposure therapy does have some merits in some cases, but it's not as easy as "just getting over it." Real phobias are actual anxiety disorders.

Also, arachnophobia is apparently at least partially genetic. There's a much higher level of inheritance for arachnophobia than any other phobia.

[Zurvan]

My first scary game was called kagero and I was very young and never had contact with horror.

The intro show a clown kidnapping a little girl. I was terrified and until today I hate clowns.

Spoiler

Show

[Jay R]

We need to draw a distinction between what we believe about coulrophobia and how we deal with our friends. I certainly take helping my friends seriously.

I don't have a psychology or psychiatry degree, so I know better than to express an opinion about a diagnosis of a phobia.

Some people have irrational emotions. But - aren't all emotions irrational?

Emotions people have are facts that we need to deal with, just like any other facts. I have one player in my D&D game who has a fear of spiders. Is it irrational? Is it a phobia? I don't know or care. I just avoid having giant spiders as monsters when she's playing.

Similarly, if I had a friend who was afraid of clowns. I wouldn't try to guess if it was truly coulrophobia, I wouldn't suggest going to a circus when he was in the group. That's all.

[Themrys]

Yeah I think a lot of people confuse the issue. They use the word phobia like we use the word Xerox or Kleenex or Band-Aid. They’re not describing that intense irrational fear that a phobia describes. They’re talking about an extreme dislike.

So this begs the question: are there different levels of a phobia?
something like "coulrophobia1", meaning a mild fear of clowns. Or "coulrophobia10" meaning an extreme or even violent fear of clowns".
what do you think.

I think we don't need that, it'd work just fine if everyone only referred to actual phobias as phobias.

Which would mean to stop using "homophobia", which is stupid anyway, it would have to be "homosexualphobia", but as others pointed out, it's not actually a phobia. There may be an element of fear to it in some cases (For example the fear of het men that gay men will treat them as they treat women), but it's not irrational in the sense that one couldn't get over it by using one's brain.

An extreme dislike is not the same as fear. I dislike clowns extremely, but I don't fear them.

I do, on the other hand, fear heights. I can't look up at high buildings. It makes me afraid I'll fall off the earth. That's a phobia, although a mild one, as it is completely irrational. (There is a rational element to some phobias. It's sensible to not want to stand near a cliff, or to fear a spider that might be venomous. I'd define it as phobia if it happens even though one knows there is no reason, i.e. monster spiders in D&D)

[PallElendro]

I suppose phobia of knives is also false because any trauma or innate fear wasn't actually caused by the knife, since it's inanimate?

For me, yeah. I'd be more scared if someone had a knife as opposed to the knife being by itself. I don't know about other people.

[zabbarot]

My sister-in-law claims to be coulrophobic. On further investigation we've realized she doesn't like any kind of masks or face paint though. A clown mask wouldn't bother her if it were in plain view, but as soon as someone puts it on she'll panic. Halloween is weird for her. : /

My wife is a psychologist, she explains it as coulrophobia being an extension of a more general phobia of unknown men/strangers.

[Icewraith]

I have a hard time taking any phobia seriously. They're irrational, meaning they're triggered regardless of whether there's any actual danger. I know arachnophobics who get pale at the mere mention of spiders. People with mild forms of phobia should just grow up and learn to deal with it. Most people do have irrational fear of spiders, insects, snakes, the dark etc., but non-pathological versions of these can be overcome with just facing the object of fear and learning it isn't that awful.

No, people with a mild version of the actual phobia instead of a mild dislike can simply hang on longer before losing it. Trying to fix an irrational fear with rationality does not work that way. The person already knows it's irrational but they can't do anything about it.