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Coulrophobia
(media.piefed.social)
honk
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this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2025
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I wonder what causes it that does not exist within Japanese culture. Is it that American children are potentially exposed to them as children, and circuses just aren't a thing in Japan?
(The fact that children would find clowns scary, having no explanation for such eldritch beings, is not surprising to me.)
I'm not sure that exposure to clowns as a child is as common as it once was, but now that fear of them is a cultural touchstone, our media revels in it and exposes us to explicitely and intentionality scary clowns and nurtures the phobia.
think like sharks. sharks are usually non confrontal and dont often attack humans. but jaws as a franchise has irreversibly made sharks as a symbol of fear for the waters, despite how insignificant shark attacks are.
I think it's the "horror clown" trope. I haven't seen any Japanese clown related horror stuff. But in American culture it's a classic and every kid has caught a glimpse of a spooky clown
I wonder if John Wayne Gacy has anything to do with it.
Almost certainly yes. Almost every "horror clown" that exists marks Gacy as an inspiration.
Americans also have Stephen King's "It" as a well known cultural touchstone, as well as just the general fear of being around a strange man who hides his face.
It also explains why the shift away from clowns happened around that time. In the 50s and 60s they weren’t considered creepy.