We should celebrate the killer clowns

All over the world, people are dressing up as clowns to scare unsuspecting members of the public. Sightings began in South Carolina but quickly spread to Canada, Australia and the UK. Not everyone is happy about this craze: the Met Police are the latest to pour cold water on the so-called ‘killer clowns’, warning people ‘to act in a responsible manner’. But even though dressing up as clowns is an unusual way for people to spend their time, I can’t help but admire them for their commitment to the performance.

After all, they are not the progenitors of this craze. The clash between ‘killer clowns’ and ‘classic clowns’ is an inversion of an idea that tells us more than we might think about the world. Clowns were the ones we used to laugh out. But now the tables have turned.

Going back to their comedia dell’arte origins, clowns were the example fool. They tumbled, fell, and were caked in food, all for the amusement of an audience that mercilessly enjoyed their suffering. The French blanc clown, with its familiar crimson frown, was a particularly depressing option, but contemporary audiences revelled in its misery.