Attention True Coulrophobics!

[HeavyBKNY]

hey all,

i too was at one time coulrophobic, my fear most definitely stemming from an early childhood viewing of 'Poltergeist' but have since mostly laid my fear to rest. However it stayed with me for a long time and now in my mid 20's, I am seeking the answer to a few questions about Coulrophobia.

Anyway I just have a few questions that I would greatly appreciate you answering. I plan on using my research and received answers as part of an as of yet not fully determined art project exploring my connection to the greater fear as well as the historical significance of clowns.

Can you peg your fear back to one singular incident?

Do you truly fear or hate/distrust clowns? Please explain all that apply.

Is your fear uncontrollable?

Do you feel drawn socially to others who also are coulrophobic?

Have you experienced teasing or ridicule from others due to your fear?

Have you held some secret disdain for yourself because of your fear?

Are there specific types of clowns that frighten you most? ie, not just the white greasepainted ones.

Have you sought counseling for your fear? Would you?

Please answer as many or as few of the questions you like but please try to be as thorough as possible. As of right now, there is no real financial compensation for taking part, just the satisfaction of sharing your own genuine stories. Please feel free to contact me privately with answers and any stories at alanhevelone@<hidden>. I would prefer email responses instead of having numerous long posts being put up here, I'm sure the admin would appreciate it too! All names will be kept private and confidential. In the event of possible exhibition, all permission for acknowledgements will be sought for inclusion in the exhibition.

Thanks a lot,
Alan

PS. I still don't really like clowns by the way.

[GoodClownsRDeadOnes]

Can you peg your fear back to one singular incident?
Do you truly fear or hate/distrust clowns? Please explain all that apply.
Hate

Is your fear uncontrollable?
There is no fear. What's uncontrollable is the urge to assault one when
I see it.

Do you feel drawn socially to others who also are coulrophobic?
There is sort of a brotherhood with fellow clownhaters.

Have you experienced teasing or ridicule from others due to your fear?
Nope. It's not fear.

Have you held some secret disdain for yourself because of your fear?
Nope. It's not fear.

Are there specific types of clowns that frighten you most? ie, not just the white greasepainted ones.
Just the white greasepainted ones. Although mimes piss me right off, especially when they try to engage you in one of their scam street shows.

Have you sought counseling for your fear? Would you? Nope and Nope. :roll:

[malakh]

h'lo there

Can you peg your fear back to one singular incident?
No, I can only peg my knowledge that I had this distaste for them to the first time I can consciously recall seeing one, as a child.

Do you truly fear or hate/distrust clowns? Please explain all that apply.
I don't think fear is an accurate description. Dislike and revulsion is more accurate. They make my skin crawl, but it's not fear in the same sense that I fear spiders (allergic) or wasps (painful). It's more that I would avoid them because I find them vile.

Is your fear uncontrollable?
Assuming you mean the revulsion I feel - Yes, in the sense that I can't NOT feel it, but no in the sense that I can choose how I outwardly REACT to them.

Do you feel drawn socially to others who also are coulrophobic?
To the extent that I would feel interested socially in meeting people who share other interests of mine. No more so, no less so. I do agree with the guy above me who says there's a sort of brotherhood among clownhaters, for the reason below...

Have you experienced teasing or ridicule from others due to your fear?
Yeah, what I've experienced is that people who like clowns seem to take a perverse sadistic delight in tormening clownhaters with clowns. I think that creates a bonding type feeling among clownhaters because other clownhaters are "safe".

Have you held some secret disdain for yourself because of your fear?
No, not at all.

Are there specific types of clowns that frighten you most? ie, not just the white greasepainted ones.
There are some types of clowns I find somewhat less revolting than others, but there are no clowns I like and no clowns I fear. I just hate the nasty little mothers.

Have you sought counseling for your fear? Would you?
No, and no. It's not exactly socially crippling, so I see no need to "cure" myself.

[weezercow]

Can you peg your fear back to one singular incident?
yes and no...hehe

Do you truly fear or hate/distrust clowns? Please explain all that apply.
i aboslutely HATE and fear clowns!!! they try to eat ppl and i dunno...i just do!!

Is your fear uncontrollable?
yes, sometimes..

Do you feel drawn socially to others who also are coulrophobic?
i recently found out i wasn't the only one... 8)

Have you experienced teasing or ridicule from others due to your fear?
yes, but it was sarcasm, i think... :?

Have you held some secret disdain for yourself because of your fear?
no...not really

Are there specific types of clowns that frighten you most? ie, not just the white greasepainted ones.
all clowns scare me...i hate em all!!

Have you sought counseling for your fear? Would you?
ummm..no? and probably not...

[Clown_Slayer]

Can you peg your fear back to one singular incident?
My father used to own clown paintings that were very frightening. The eyes of the clowns from the paintings would look as if they were following you, and the looks on the clowns faces were disturbing. I can't really remember a time in my life when I wasn't afraid of clowns.

Do you truly fear or hate/distrust clowns? Please explain all that apply.
I fear clowns. It's like the intense burning sensation you may get in your chest as you slam on your brakes when you think you may be in an accident. The feeling you get when you are walking down a quiet alleyway and all of a sudden a dog runs up to the fence and starts barking, scaring you. Imagine those feelings, but imagine that they will not go away. I see a clown and I shake my head uncontrollably. It is as if I am willing it to go away. I am twenty-four years old and I am certain that clowns are the things I fear most in this world.

Is your fear uncontrollable?
See answer to previous question. :wink:

Do you feel drawn socially to others who also are coulrophobic?
Absolutely.

Have you experienced teasing or ridicule from others due to your fear?
On a daily basis.

Have you held some secret disdain for yourself because of your fear?
Never. I cannot control my fear. It's not my fault that I fear clowns. I have accepted this as a part of who I am.

Are there specific types of clowns that frighten you most? ie, not just the white greasepainted ones.
All clowns frighten me. The neon hair, the big floppy shoes, red noses, white faces, large painted lips.. :shock: They all frighten me.

Have you sought counseling for your fear? Would you?
No. I have accepted that my coulrophobia is a part of who I am.
Besides, I have spent hundreds of dollars on this website on "I Hate Clown" clothing. If someone cured me of my fear, all those clothes would go to waste. :lol:

[celticmelody]

yeah...i hate clowns and its because one threatened me when i was little...jerk...the clowns on here that preach to us about their goodness cant explain crap like that.

[Demon]

Can you peg your fear back to one singular incident?
I was about 7, my mum brought back this video from the rental store and put it down in the hallway. I remember taking a look at the front cover and seeing a picture of a clown with sharp teeth and these horrible, green reptile-like fingers. The video was IT, and the picture was so fascinating (yet scary) to me that I begged and begged my mum to let me stay up and watch it. My mum, always knowing better, told me that I could watch it, but it will only give me nightmares. So I sat down to watch to movie, and it went ok until "that" scene came on. The scene that will be known as the single most traumatising image of my life. The sewer scene. I screamed for the video to be turned off and ran up to bed, having nightmares and sleeping with the lamp on for at least 2 months.

Do you truly fear or hate/distrust clowns? Please explain all that apply.
I mostly just hate them now, people say it's stupid, but there IS something about them and i'm determined to proove it. I even remember seeing a video clip on one of those funny home-video programmes, where this clown approaches this little boy, and the boy falls backwards into a bush and starts to scream. I actually got to see this clip again and I looked closely, and it looked as if the clown actually *pushed* the boy down.

Is your fear uncontrollable?
The only clowns I really fear now are the ones with sharp teeth, or that resemble Pennywise. Then it's uncontrollable.

Do you feel drawn socially to others who also are coulrophobic?
Yes, they're like my soul-mates.

Have you experienced teasing or ridicule from others due to your fear?
My friends used to tease me a bit. Whenever we went into a video store, they would straight away try to find Stephen Kings IT, and chase me with the video cover, cos they knew i'd get freaked.

Have you held some secret disdain for yourself because of your fear?
Nope, fear is fear. It's nobodies fault that they fear a certain thing, it's a gene.

Are there specific types of clowns that frighten you most? ie, not just the white greasepainted ones.
Mostly just the ones that resemble Pennywise.

Have you sought counseling for your fear? Would you?
No, this is something i'd like to do myself.