Clowns - to wish the media would stop reporting them

[MsJamieFraser]

If anyone hasn't heard, the new popular thing to do, is dress up as a clown with a weapon and go about terrifying people by intimidation and brandishing a weapon.

AIBU to think the media should stop reporting on this and these idiots will just go onto the next trend.

Currently my quiet home town is full of police and sirens blaring as a few idiots are out terrorising the public.

[silentlyfume]

I had to deal with a group of absolutely terrified children at the local bus station this morning after reports that they were targeting their school on social media. They were clearly year 7s and in a right state sigh.

[londonrach]

Mrsjamie....remind me to avoid your town clowns scare me. (Shudder).

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

Just to reassure Essex people some of the photos being shared are not from this year. Or from Essex. There is an element of mass hysteria here. There are undoubtedly some idiots doing this to scare people but no where near as many as the Internet suggests.

[MsJamieFraser]

"People are dressing as killer clowns and it's the media's fault? Ok."

where have I suggested it's the medias fault?

What I have said is, if they stop reporting t the fad will phase out, currently t strayed of in America, it's now in Australia and all over the UK... the medias reporting on it, is making it popular.

[HopelesslydevotedtoGu]

I hadn't read anything about this, glad I've seen this thread as I would have been petrified comimg across one of these idiots unwarned

Whilst media hype will be spreading the 'craze', even without this it could spread on social media

Infuriating there are so many absolute idiots scaring kids and people in their own homes

[Ohb0llocks]

Infuriates me, dreading one jumping out at me and 2yo DS he's petrified of them.

[Stillwaitingforthesummer2come]

So looking at these posts, has a UK school been directly affected?

[Stillwaitingforthesummer2come]

4fork what's the initials of your school?

[4forksake]

Still waiting, HA in CLS.

[DramaInPyjamas]

Where can you see the school list online? One of our local high schools was targeted on Thursday. With rumours on Twitter that the primary will be next.

Schools are off up here in Scotland for the October holiday, so hopefully the clowns have got bored and found something better to do by the time they go back next week.

[blinkowl]

The media won't stop reporting them though, large sections of our media are totally irresponsible IMO.

I remember I was shocked a few years back to read an article about a spate of teen suicides in Wales, it mentioned that publishing the names and pictures of the suicide victims in the media was thought to play a significant part in encouraging further copy cat suicides. But then this very article was accompanied by names and pictures of some of the victims.

I just couldn't get my head round that. How fucking irresponsible can you get? They can't say they didn't know as that was the point of the article FFS! But I'm sure it sold a few papers so that's OK then, right?

[LunaWeaselton]

I've always been scared of clowns so I've paid extra attention to this. Currently away from home at the moment and have had to warn OH to be vigilant .Its quite sad that people think this is funny .

[ScaryMonstersandSuperCreeps]

It's happened in Kent. Someone on the local FB chat page said their son had been chased by a man in a clown mask. If it happened to Wilf he would be petrified and I would be furious!!

[Nermerner]

new IT movie

[Millimat]

I couldn't see the schools list online either.

[ninenicknames]

Yep happening here too & police are all over it

[OurBlanche]

Oh! Even in our little backwater!

We were cake baking in the youth club/space and 4 16/17 year old boys rushed in in floods of tears, terrified!

Shuffled them into the back room and got them calmed down. Apparently Pennywise and a mate, armed with golf clubs, had lept out of a hedge at them. Their immediate reaction was to scream and run away! They were scared, embarrassed and angry. Not a good mix for a 16/17 year old.

We got them calm enough to help the little ones make cakes, whilst waiting for the police to come. The PCSO said they had had a few Clown Calls and were getting mightily pissed of with the whole thing.

The worst thing, from the boys perspective, was that under the masks were people they know. So they went on facebook and told the whole story, screams, running away, crying, the lot - including pictures of the cakes they ended up making. They hoped that by owning the story, being honest about it they would not then be ridiculed by the 2 idiots.

What has also happened is that lots of other teens have posted that they too would have cried, run away, pooed other pants - and all sorts of other lovely turns of phrase. And they are all walking little brothers and sisters to the rec, staying vigilant, carrying asthma puffers (you have to have read the book ) and generally being brave/brash!

I sort of hope they never find out who it was! Silly buggers.

[CotswoldStrife]

This craze is all over my FB feed, and I've found out that a few of my FB friends have a fear of clowns! The clowns in the photos do look scary, not like circus clowns.

[Mumofazoo]

I am terrified of clowns and I honestly think I would have a heart attack if this happened to me. Luckily so far this has not happened in our sleepy little village and I hope to God it never does.

[Stanky]

People are fucking idiots. I have family living in Texas, and people have been warned/reminded that it is an open carry state. It's all going to end in tragedy.

[Millimat]

What do people mean by an open carry state?

[Lokisglowstickofdestiny]

Milli guns.

[PleaseGetOffTheTableDarling]

Millimat I think it means that it is legal to openly carry a firearm in public.

Kind of scarier than clowns, really.

[pugsake]

There's an actual police statement on the local FB page and the screen shot in the local echo. Bloody arseholes

[CatThiefKeith]

scarymonsters where in Kent?