What is it that makes us take non-threatening things and turn them into symbols of death and fear? Menacing clowns, deadly dolls, killer rabbits...WTF, guys? I think I even saw a picture of JPII with a rocket launcher. This is one sick society...and I'm happy to be a part of it.
@Pete(Detroit)- Considering how many clowns can fit in a car, it's not surprising how many bodies they can pack into a crawlspace.
@Kevin- Stranger things have happened. Although not much stranger.
@Angry Hoosier Dad- On a primal level, young children are afraid of clowns because the makeup is used to distort and hide the visual cues which allow a face to be "read" for accurate emotional information. Plus, clowns act freaking weird.
Regarding other childhood symbols of innocence that are turned into symbols of death and fear, I'll opine that it goes hand-in-glove with the adult experience of finding danger and/or the possibility of disaster in even seemingly safe circumstances ("Bob was 44 years old, worked out every day, and was sitting at his desk when he dropped dead.") And so we exaggerate that situation with dangerous dolls and fanged rabbits so we can laugh. Nervously.
And of course, that's exactly what's going on in every Johnny cartoon. Take away the word balloons, and the strip is more benign than "Family Circus." But with the words, you get the hilarious horror of an all-too-recognizable reality!
4 comments:
Better check his crawl space!
He seems to be the love-child of Homey and Pennywise.
What is it that makes us take non-threatening things and turn them into symbols of death and fear? Menacing clowns, deadly dolls, killer rabbits...WTF, guys? I think I even saw a picture of JPII with a rocket launcher. This is one sick society...and I'm happy to be a part of it.
@Pete(Detroit)- Considering how many clowns can fit in a car, it's not surprising how many bodies they can pack into a crawlspace.
@Kevin- Stranger things have happened. Although not much stranger.
@Angry Hoosier Dad- On a primal level, young children are afraid of clowns because the makeup is used to distort and hide the visual cues which allow a face to be "read" for accurate emotional information. Plus, clowns act freaking weird.
Regarding other childhood symbols of innocence that are turned into symbols of death and fear, I'll opine that it goes hand-in-glove with the adult experience of finding danger and/or the possibility of disaster in even seemingly safe circumstances ("Bob was 44 years old, worked out every day, and was sitting at his desk when he dropped dead.") And so we exaggerate that situation with dangerous dolls and fanged rabbits so we can laugh. Nervously.
And of course, that's exactly what's going on in every Johnny cartoon. Take away the word balloons, and the strip is more benign than "Family Circus." But with the words, you get the hilarious horror of an all-too-recognizable reality!
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