You might have noticed something awful going on in America lately.
A different thing: Clowns are back.
(So, actually, sort of that.)
Credit: Everett Collection
Of course, to some people clowns aren’t the least bit frightening.
However, hey know that you’re notnotafraid of clownsyou just haven’t had your clown story yet.
I believe that clowns, at one time in history, provided a necessarily colorful diversion for miserable people.
There’s history here!
And yet: Clowns remain!
Now clowns only haunt our pop culture because of the ways they’ve literally haunted pop culture.
What a fun legacy for clowns!
The good clowns are waning, and fast.
There is but a small list that is acceptable in the year of our Lorde 2017: Krusty.
Homey fromIn Living Color.
The Joker (but specifically not Jared Leto’s).
Ronald McDonald (only cartooned on Happy Meal boxes, not live-action).
Cirque du Soleil (viewed from mezzanine or further).
And of course, whoever the last good opera clown was.
Millennials aren’t rooting for clowns.
They don’t want to see greater clown representation on television.
They don’t want to know the gritty origins of the first family to pile into a small car.
So yes,theItremakewill blow up the box office.
But to what culturally impactful end?
Perhaps clowns deserved better audiences these past 30 years.
Or perhaps we just deserved better clowns.
Send out the clowns.
