Shocking news out of London today: Clowns are scary.Seriously, I've been afraid of clowns for as long as I can remember. I'm glad I'm not alone on this one.
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Sheffield polled children ages 4 to 16, in an effort to examine the best decor of hospital children's wards. The report found that all 250 children surveyed did not like the use of clowns and that several of the older children were afraid of them.
"We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable" - Penny Curtis, senior lecturer in research at the university.That kinda makes me feel bad for the clowns, but then I remember the first time I ever saw the movie It and I get over it.
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1 comment:
The article you refer to has since been discredited. Sloppy data collection, conclusions jumped to, picked up by Reuters without fact-checking, and then this mistruth disseminated via the Internet.
I can tell you as a hospital clown myself that most kids still love clowns. True, some are scared of us, just as they might be scared of Santa Claus or Mickey Mouse, or of strangers in general. A smart clown (or Santa, or Mickey, or stranger) knows when to back off and let the kid (or adult) dictate their comfort level.
Go ahead and hate clowns if it pleases you, but please note that Reuters screwed up here.
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