Thursday, February 20, 2014

Cram it, clowny

Let me begin by unequivocally stating my neutrality on the issue of clowns. I find them neither creepy nor amusing.

Well, okay—I must specify: by “clowns” in this context I’m referring to the sort who dress in baggier clothes than high school boys, wear garish polystyrene hair and generally sport big, round red noses. Not CEOs or Congress. Those clowns are both creepy and extremely dangerous.

Regardless, apparently there’s an imminent shortage of the variety not wearing $2500 suits. NPR reports that the old ones are fading away, retiring, slap-foot walking into the sunset, whatever; while there seems to be a dearth of youngsters looking to run away and join the circus.

The World Clown Association membership is down by 1000 from 3500 in 2014, and most of the remaining members are over 40. Damn.

On the up side, people are still applying to Ringling Bros Clown college, although if they’re only training 14 at a whack, I’m thinking there’s some kind of Darwinian elimination process going on here.


We’ll just have to see how this story, uh, plays out, won’t we?



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