Thursday, February 22, 2007

Why is it hard to take this seriously?

Maybe because they never mention the clowns' names in the article? (Anyone besides me hate clowns?)

Two clowns shot dead at circus

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Two clowns were shot and killed by an unidentified gunman during their performance at a traveling circus in the eastern Colombian town of Cucuta, police said Wednesday.

The gunman burst into the Circo del Sol de Cali Monday night and shot the clowns in front of an audience of 20 to 50 people, local police chief Jose Humberto Henao told Reuters. One of the clowns was killed instantly and the second died the next day in hospital.

"The killings had nothing to do with the show the victims were performing at the time of the incident," Henao said in a telephone interview. "We are investigating the motive."

With an entrance fee of under 50 U.S. cents, Circo del Sol de Cali attracts mostly poor Colombians. It pitched it tents in Cucuta, near the border with Venezuela, earlier this month.

"The clowns came out to give their show and then this guy came out shooting them," one audience member told local television. "It was terrible."

19 comments:

Krystalline Apostate said...

It must be tough to be a clown in Bogota.
I saw this at the BBC. Somebody shot a clown the year before, same area.
I love clowns, BTW.
I remember an interview w/Wavy Gravy, where he said, "I decided to become a clown. You never hear a bunch of cowboys say, 'Let's go beat up a clown!'"
The times, they have changed radically.

Michael Bains said...

I'm sure the gunmen just mistook the poor silly critters for politicians.

An honest mistake tho' a might' bit extreme. ;-}

beepbeepitsme said...

That's weird. Why would someone target a clown?

Stardust said...

KA - what do you find appealing about clowns? I have found them bizarre and scary ever since I was a kid. The worst was "Wizzo" the magician clown. When I took my daughter's girl scout troop to the Bozo Show when she was about 7 or 8, I was hoping that Wizzo wasn't going to be on that day, and he wasn't...phew!

I don't want to beat them up, but just don't want them near me.

CyberKitten said...

Stardust, maybe you have Coulrophobia- a fear of clowns? One of my good friends gets freaked out by them too....

Stardust said...

cyberkitten, wow, I can't believe there is an official name for it! LOL!

I looked it up and found this:

In discussions of causes of coulrophobia, sufferers seem to agree that the most fear-inducing aspect of clowns is the heavy makeup, often accompanied by the bulbous nose and weird color of hair, that conceals the wearer's identity.

Sufferers sometimes acquire a fear of clowns after having a bad experience with one personally, or seeing a sinister portrayal of one in the media.

Tommykey said...

I don't think helped to improve the image of clowns in America.

See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Johnwaynegacyclown.jpg

Tommykey said...

Sorry, I meant I don't think John Wayne Gacy helped the image of clowns in America.

Krystalline Apostate said...

Stardust:
KA - what do you find appealing about clowns?
They're goofy, they laugh a lot, don't take themselves seriously? They make children laugh?
Anyone who puts on a red nose & oversized shoes is (usually) a little bit of all right, in my book.
There are exceptions, as Tommy noted: John Wayne Gacy Jr., for instance.
"I think we're all bozos on this bus!" - Firesign theater.

"Please deflate your shoes, & follow the yellow rubber line." - Ibid.

Stardust said...

thanks for answering, KA! :O)

Stardust said...

John Wayne Gacy probably ruined many a self-employed clown.

The clown in Stephen King's "It" was pretty frightning.

Krystalline Apostate said...

Stardust:
The clown in Stephen King's "It" was pretty frightning.
Luckily, just fiction. Best 'killer clown' in fiction yet, though.
Good book, but King's a tad long-winded.

Krystalline Apostate said...

Oh, & hey, at least no balloon animals were harmed in the making of the movie, 'It'. ;)

concerned citizen said...

One of my favorite characters to do is a geriatric clown. I know some people have clown issues & that makes it alot of funenjoy!

Stardust said...

l>t LMAO! Now that was funny, I have to admit. I wouldn't have been able to keep from laughing. I am no good at pranks and stuff because I give myself away with my stupid ass uncontrollable grinning.

I wonder if people would have been as tolerant if you didn't have the walker? I can just hear the people in Chicago..."get the fuck out of the street you clown!" (In Chicago "clown" is the alternative for asshole.)

Tommykey said...

Last year, I was at a party my friend Lynn threw for her son's communion. A young lady (20's or 30's) came to the party in a clown suit and makeup to entertain the children. The inner pervert in me suddenly became seized with this idea of how funny it would be if there was a scene in a movie in which a guy had sex with his girlfriend while she was still wearing her party clown outfit and makeup. I don't know, it's just that it is something so taboo shattering that it would just have to be seen.

Stardust said...

tommy, funnier yet...two clowns having sex with each other in full costume and make-up...LOLOL! Talk about BIZARRE!

Krystalline Apostate said...

Stardust:
two clowns having sex with each other in full costume and make-up
No doubt there's a porn site out there somewhere that indulges this peccadillo.

Stardust said...

KA - I typed in Clown Porn for the hell of it in Yahoo image search and you can find A N Y T H I N G on the internet! OMFSM!
Clown Porn