The creepy clowns have yet to reach Boston.
As if clowns weren’t scary enough, this year people have been taking it to a whole new level. It’s also scary to read about when it’s happening halfway across the country. But the clowns seem to have made it up to Massachusetts and now reading the reports is downright terrifying.
Don’t freak out and get ready to go out and buy yourself some pepper/anti-clown spray. There have been no confirmed sightings of creepy clowns in Boston. According to this article from the Boston Globe, the first sighting in Mass this year was in Greenfield’s Franklin County Fairgrounds on September 17th, but the police couldn’t find the suspect. All other reports since have also proven false.
So Why Do People Think Killer Clowns Are Here?
According to this article from the Eagle-Tribune, students at Marrimack College in North Andover experienced a shelter-in-place when reports of a “clown armed with a pitchfork” in one of the dorms started circulating. This happened Monday night. The police searched but found no suspicious persons.
Penn State saw more fear and panic on their campus. Students gathered on the street during the event. CBS reports in this article that “pictures and video posted online showed students chanting vulgar anti-clown slogans.” It’s hard not to agree with the student’s sentiments.
Threat or Hoax?
This seems to be the question of the moment. Do we need to worry about this coming to our campus? Well, unfortunately it’s not completely out of the question. But as of yet no one has reported a concrete sighting — it’s all social media hype as of now.
There are two kinds of clowns and there’s a different type of asshole behind each. The other issue is some of these clowns do pose a serious threat, because they are carrying weapons. These people are dangerous, and we need to stop them. These assholes are sociopathic assholes, and people should avoid them at all costs. And then there are the people dressing up like clowns to scare people because of the current fear of clowns right now. And assholes are just full of complete and total hard-core suckitude.
Boston Has History With Clowns
It started one year after Illinois’ court sentenced serial killer John Wayne Gacy to death. Reports spread first through Boston of a clown who was reportedly harassing elementary school children. Police were “seeking a man who had been reported wearing a clown suit from the waist up, while naked from the waist down” (The Boston Globe). This seems to have been a case of rumors spreading and causing hysteric parents to panic.
The Boston Globe article also said that “some have suggested that there has been a copycat effect — fueled by news reports and social media — among those who have dressed up and those who have filed false reports.” This makes sense to me. In a way it reminds me of when people started gluing razor blades to playgrounds like in New Jersey and Illinois. Whether Gacy or the original scary clown after him is the cannon, however, is unclear.
The Globe also speculates that “the timing of the cases shortly before Halloween may also be a factor,” which is what I’ve been saying.
All In All
Don’t panic just yet. There have been no concrete sightings. And as we all found out when there was that fire alarm testing in 150 last week, Berklee Public Safety will have no difficulty letting us know if we’re in any danger.
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