1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Welcome back 5 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: to the show. My name is Matt. Who it's me? 6 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: They call me Ben. We are joined as always with 7 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,639 Speaker 1: our super producer Paul Mission controlled decade. Most importantly, you 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: are you. You are here, and that makes this stuff 9 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,480 Speaker 1: they don't want you to know. It is the most 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: wonderful time of the year if you're listening to this 11 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: episode as it comes out today. Conspiracy Realist, Happy Halloween. Yes, 12 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: the spookables are all around you say that like lunchables. 13 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: That's what my son calls them. That's a that's a 14 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: great name, and it's a little bit I color. It 15 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: has a little bit more edge than something being simply spooky. Right, 16 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: you've probably heard that spooky Spooby. It's like cute spooky. Yeah, 17 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: he's into the real, real deal, legit spookable stuff. I 18 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: don't know if I told you guys. I've been watching 19 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 1: like R rated eighties horror movies with my ten year 20 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: old daughter. Um, it sounds like a good idea. Yeah, no, 21 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: it's fine. It's just like mainly that we watched the 22 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 1: first two Child's playing movies because they're just hilarious. Um, 23 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: they're only rated are because of some slightly bad language, 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: but like she kids at her school used those words 25 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: and she knows not to use them and mixed company. 26 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: But we've had a really good time. And last night 27 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: after she went to bed, I watched My Bloody Valentine. 28 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: Have you seen this? It's about a crazed miner in Ontario, Canada, 29 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: and it's the most Canadian horror movie I've ever seen 30 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: in my life, as in m like Minor Miners, Cole Miners. 31 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: And I actually get a conversation with with your wife 32 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: a few weeks or a month or so back where 33 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: I was thinking, I've got some books that I think 34 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: Matt's kid will love, and she the word I think 35 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: I told you this, U. She told me I was 36 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: worried that maybe because I don't know what kids read, 37 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: I was worried that maybe the books would be like 38 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,639 Speaker 1: too scary, you know, like scary stories telling the dark. 39 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: Probably want to wait a few years on that one 40 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: or something or anfigory. But her reply was he already 41 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 1: has so many books. Yeah, certainly does well, let him know, 42 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: let him know when when you guys, let me know 43 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: when it is appropriate to send him the creepy stuff. 44 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: Because I think when we're kids, we all have this 45 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: fascination to one degree or another with things that scare us, right, 46 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,799 Speaker 1: with things that make our heartbeat race, things that make 47 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: us mistake a pile of clothes in the dark for 48 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,679 Speaker 1: an evil figure crouching closer to the bed. And one 49 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: of the one of the biggest, surprisingly common fears in 50 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: the Western world is something called colrophobia. That's a word 51 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: for the day that means the fear of clowns. This 52 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: is a pretty recent word. It comes about in the 53 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: nineteen nineties, but it describes a longstanding, arguably ancient unease 54 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: that is doubtlessly familiar to many of our fellow listeners. 55 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: Clowns are a little bit different here in the US 56 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: because we live in a post gay Cy environment. John 57 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: Wayne Gaycy, the notorious infamous serial murderer who also had 58 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: had a reputation or alternate identity as a clown. Uh. 59 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: This affected the cultural zeitgeist in a number of ways, 60 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: and it has consequences. Ripple effects that remain with us today. Matt, 61 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: you and I I believe were at was that the 62 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: Museum of Crime or Murder in d C. And actual 63 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: Poe Go the clown Suits, which was his alter ego. 64 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: Oh and at the Museum of Death and in Hollywood 65 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: they have several of his paintings that he did of 66 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: himself as a clown, and his shoes are there as well. 67 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: And this, this calls to mind another episode we did 68 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: on the controversy surrounding serial killer memorabilia and art, which 69 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: you know, I listened back to a while ago, and it's, 70 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: I gotta say, objectively, not that bad, not bad at all. 71 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 1: I I can't remember who I heard say this, Gosh, 72 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: and this is this. I think it's an interesting point though, 73 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: the idea that killers should not be publicized, their identity 74 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: should not be publicized, because then it allows them to 75 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: profit off of their crimes. I think that's an interesting concept, 76 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 1: especially in cases of terrorism where someone simply wants to 77 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: be a martyr for a cause. But but back to clowns. 78 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: So because at least partially because of John Wayne Gacy, 79 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: but probably because of some other longstanding hardwired psychological quirks 80 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: in our brains. Uh. People from all walks of life, 81 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,480 Speaker 1: especially here in these United States, are pretty comfortable nowadays 82 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: being upfront and transparent about their fear of or distrust 83 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: of clowns. People have no problem saying I don't like clowns, 84 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,039 Speaker 1: I'm not going to see it, etcetera, etcetera. This is 85 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: a cultural phenomenon. It's not necessarily a global attitude. And 86 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: a lot of other countries clowns are these beloved figures 87 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: of fun and festivity. Like in Central America, you know, 88 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: the parade is really popping when a gang of clowns 89 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: comes in. I don't know what the group name for 90 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 1: clowns is. You know how there's like a parliament of 91 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: owls and unkindness of ravens, murder of clowns, a murder 92 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: of clowns, a car of clowns, a honk of clowns, 93 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: like murder of clowns. So here in the US, the 94 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: fear of clowns eventually, not too long ago, reached a 95 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:02,679 Speaker 1: boiling point. It became a national and then international panic. 96 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: Here are the facts. Our story today starts on August one, 97 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:15,359 Speaker 1: in Green Bay, Wisconsin, five photos of what appeared to 98 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:20,799 Speaker 1: be a creepy clown surfaced. This clown was wandering, literally 99 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: wandering around a parking lot under a bridge somewhere in 100 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 1: Green Bay, and this went viral thanks to the Internet. 101 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: We can only conjecture that it must have been a 102 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: slow news cycle because the pictures got national media attention. 103 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:39,799 Speaker 1: Fox News was all over at USA, Today was all 104 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: over it. Eventually, The New York Times was writing about this. 105 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: Shortly after August five. A Facebook page pertaining to the 106 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: pictures are purporting to pertain to the pictures surface and 107 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: they said the name of this clown is Gags g 108 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: A G S. Yeah. Well yeah, And it wasn't just 109 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:06,480 Speaker 1: any clown. It looked to be someone who was purposefully 110 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: trying to be creepy, right because the character, this this 111 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: person whoever, was wearing all of this makeup and everything. 112 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: It wasn't like your cutie clown makeup. There were some 113 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: there's an edge to it that appeared to be sinister 114 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: in some way. And I believe it was what the 115 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: character was holding balloons. Yeah, nah, not not your vibe. Hunh. 116 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: That's not a lick you're going for. Yeah, it's it's 117 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: a very good point that it was purposefully done. Up 118 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: like a scary Halloween clown, you know what I mean, 119 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 1: not like a fun welcome to McDonald's clown, which I 120 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: would argue was also still pretty creepy. Here's what happens. 121 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: Numerous pundits speculate on this story, and because there is 122 00:07:55,880 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: not very much in the way of solid factual well 123 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: reporting here, there aren't. There's just not much to the 124 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: story other than these five creepy pictures and a Facebook page. 125 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: At this point, uh, pundits are going wild. They're saying, 126 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 1: what's going on here? Is this a childish prank? Is 127 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: this alone unhinged lunatic? Is this part of something larger? 128 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: We'll get back to that, but first, here's Carol with 129 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: the weather that kind of stuff. Or is it an 130 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: attempt at guerrilla marketing? And it turned out it turned 131 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: out that our story gets sewed up in a in 132 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: a pretty I would say, relieving way. So eight days later, 133 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: a filmmaker by the name of Adam Krauss actually came 134 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:43,960 Speaker 1: forward and revealed that this was nothing but a marketing stunt. 135 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: He and his crew were actually filming a short piece 136 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:50,080 Speaker 1: called Gags the Clown and Bloody Disgusting, which is a 137 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 1: horror blog UM quoted Krauss as saying, we filmed the 138 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,199 Speaker 1: short and secret and at least photos of the sightings 139 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: quote quote, because I wanted to convince my down that 140 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: there was a creepy clown wandering the streets late at night. 141 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 1: We released the pictures August first, sixteen, and it blew 142 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: up from that point on. It went viral very quickly. 143 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: I announced that it was just a short film eight 144 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 1: days later, but that didn't stop the craze from kicking 145 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 1: into high gear. Um, what do you guys think? Is 146 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,679 Speaker 1: this a form of terrorism? Like? Is it should there 147 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: be some burden of responsibility on individual like this that 148 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: that is doing something that is legitimately terrorizing a town. 149 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: There's not a way to make it illegal. Yeah, I 150 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: was gonna say. According to Captain Kevin Warwick, w A 151 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 1: R y c. H of the Green Bay Police Department 152 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: where this was first occurring, where gags made the appearances 153 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: and the Facebook group started everything, he said, this person 154 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 1: is not breaking the law. He can walk in a 155 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: clown costume anywhere he wants. He can't call it like 156 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: menacing or something like that. Like, what what point does 157 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: something become menacing? That's a crime if someone's loitering, or 158 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,319 Speaker 1: if someone is giving the reasonable uh, if there's reasonable 159 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: suspicion or that they would be about to commit a crime, right, so, 160 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: and that's tough to prosecute one. I don't want to 161 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 1: lose this part though, because Krauss did say this is 162 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: for my film after it whatever. Yeah, yeah, And it's 163 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,479 Speaker 1: just like every time we see a red meat headline 164 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 1: in the news, only two see it corrected on like 165 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: page thirty two of the next issue of the paper, 166 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: or thrown in at the very end and find print 167 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: on a website for a broadcast news show. People just 168 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:43,200 Speaker 1: don't care about their attractions and there we go. All's well, 169 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: that ends well, right. This wasn't the first time viral 170 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: marketing had fooled unsuspecting denizens of the Internet, where the 171 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: media shout out to Blair Witch Project, which I think 172 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:58,679 Speaker 1: is one of the most famous recent examples. But those 173 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: clown sightings not stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In fact, 174 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: they escalated kind of the way that um, you know, 175 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: one of like one of my favorite songs in the 176 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 1: Hall of Mountain King escalates to to to And things 177 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: really did get weirder after that, because it inspired. Not 178 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,440 Speaker 1: it inspired people, but it also made those creative juices 179 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: flow about what could I do that would be even creepier. 180 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: So we're going to pause here for our usual ad break. Uh, 181 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: this one is a little different today because Matt, you 182 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: and I were thinking about this. We're talking about this 183 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:41,840 Speaker 1: great clown panic, but one of today's sponsors is addressing 184 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 1: a more personal panic that occurs to a lot of 185 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: dudes around their thirties, right. You know, Ben, we've been 186 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:53,719 Speaker 1: talking about people panicking about things that are out there 187 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: in the world that may or may not be real. 188 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 1: We're gonna explore it a little more as we continue 189 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: the episode, but something that is very real for a 190 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: lot of men out there is the fear and panic 191 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: involved with losing your hair. That's right, Matt. Two out 192 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,080 Speaker 1: of three men will experience some form of male pattern 193 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: baldness by the time they reach thirty five. But there's 194 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: good news with today's advancements, and science keeps offers proven 195 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: treatments that can combat the systems of hair loss. You've 196 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:27,079 Speaker 1: heard it keeps, Yeah, I have, and it's really cool 197 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:29,439 Speaker 1: because you used to have to go to the doctor 198 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 1: and talk to somebody and say you know, hey, I 199 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: think I'm dealing with this. What can we do? But 200 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 1: thanks to KEEPS, you don't have to physically go and 201 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: visit a doctor. You can see one online. You can 202 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 1: get medication delivered directly to your home. You don't have 203 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: to go through you know, what could be the embarrassment 204 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,320 Speaker 1: of waiting in a room around with other people. You'll 205 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 1: get the attention you want from a doctor and discrete 206 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: drug delivery, all from the comfort and privacy of your 207 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:59,079 Speaker 1: own space. That's right. Yeah, just like clown attacks, prevention 208 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,160 Speaker 1: is key there. Uh. And the thing about KEEPS is 209 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,679 Speaker 1: that this really no smoke works. It's up to effective 210 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,400 Speaker 1: at reducing and stopping further hair loss. 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Clowns sightings began to pop up all around 234 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,560 Speaker 1: the country, and they were unrelated to the short film 235 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: from Wisconsin. The next widely reported creepy clown sightings occurred 236 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 1: in Greenville, South Carolina. Yeah, in August sixteen, there was 237 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: an alleged clown sighting in Greenville at the Fleetwood Manor 238 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 1: apartment complex and I was originally reading this, I was 239 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: really wishing it was at the Fleetwood Mac concert. That 240 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: would have been cool. Um, But no, in this complex, 241 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: children reported witnessing clowns or a group of clowns, a 242 00:14:57,680 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: murder of clowns, so that we decided on a guy 243 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: goal of clowns um attempting to whisper or talk to 244 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 1: the children. Now, that's got to be not cool, right, 245 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: that's come on, that's yeah, it's it's so it's so 246 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 1: strange because at this point the um, the image and 247 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:20,000 Speaker 1: the role of a clown has been relegated to things 248 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: like children's parties. Still that that's where you will maybe 249 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: find a clown, or maybe at the circus or the rodeos, 250 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: maybe a swingers club by basement, but wherever it is. 251 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:34,800 Speaker 1: The culturally, we've like flipped the script where now I 252 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 1: think people first and foremost think of clowns as creepy 253 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: demon child eaters as opposed to you know, friendly uh 254 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 1: child performers. We do. But again, like, if you you 255 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: can go online right now and hire a clown to 256 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: do a children's party, that is one of the main 257 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 1: things you can do. So if there are clowns out 258 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: in let's say an apartment complex somewhere talking to kids. 259 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: If you're not aware of some kids party that's happening, 260 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: maybe that's all it is. I'm just saying it's it's 261 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: it's tough because it also creeps me out personally, and 262 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: I wouldn't like it if my son was there and 263 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: saw some clowns. They were trying to whisper to him. Um. Well, 264 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: but here's the thing of what they were whispering. And 265 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: the children told their parts of the clowns, who, by 266 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: the way, we were set up with these flashing green 267 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: laser lights. Um. They told the children that they lived 268 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 1: in an abandoned house in the woods near a small lake. 269 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:36,360 Speaker 1: Small talk conversation. Yeah, see, that's where it becomes terrifying. 270 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: And the police did investigate, and they did find a 271 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: trail in the nearby woods, and the trail did lead 272 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:47,440 Speaker 1: to a house. There was a small lake by the house. 273 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: But at this point, no evidence of clowns nor any 274 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: evidence of clowns paraphernalia was ever found. So there wasn't 275 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 1: even a bottle of seltzer or anything that is so 276 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: funny to be. No evidence of clowns was discovered or paraphernal. 277 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,480 Speaker 1: I love the notion of clown paraphernal, Like there's one 278 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: size sixteen shoe just just on the trail. And this 279 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: is strange because it's we we have to think of 280 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 1: the children and the complex, and then we have to 281 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:19,639 Speaker 1: think of their families too. What do you do when 282 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: the police throw up their hands and say, well, um, 283 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: we we couldn't find any clowns or clown paraphernalia, you know, 284 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 1: but we will be patrolling. I guess for the next 285 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: couple of days. We'll keep an eye out. South Carolina, though, 286 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 1: is far from a unique case. Over the next few months, 287 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: reports of creepy, suspicious sketch clowns popped up in every 288 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 1: single US state and Puerto Rico as well. Uh. The 289 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:52,440 Speaker 1: Guardian was following this story and they had some great 290 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 1: articles on this. Uh. They describe it thusly. They say 291 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: clowns began to terrorize children and sometimes attack people. While commentating, 292 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,879 Speaker 1: you spoke of panic and hysteria. In Pennsylvania, teenager was 293 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 1: reported to have been murdered by someone in a clown mask, 294 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,160 Speaker 1: although police later said it was the victim who had 295 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: the mask. So still in this time of panic, just 296 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:16,760 Speaker 1: having a clown mask in play during the crime is 297 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: enough for this to be lumped into lumped into the 298 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:25,120 Speaker 1: same phenomenon of reporting. Yeah, and you can see here 299 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 1: where if something goes viral enough anywhere in the world 300 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 1: and it gets shared enough on let's say international social 301 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: media or internationally accessible social media, it's kind of what 302 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: we were talking about. You can see where people will think, oh, well, 303 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: how do I make a post or something, or how 304 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: do I make something happen in my local town that's 305 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,919 Speaker 1: also gonna get me or this famous um through my post, 306 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: because it really did go fully international after that. Yeah, 307 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:58,440 Speaker 1: that's the thing. The spark was lit. All in all, 308 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 1: people in eighteen different countries other than the US started 309 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 1: reporting clown sightings over the course of sen and these 310 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 1: were you know, it's weird because we know the panic 311 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:15,880 Speaker 1: in the US has a discreete start date it's August first, 312 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:21,160 Speaker 1: but we also see some um preceding attacks. Are similar 313 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: instances in Europe. In twenty there was a creepy clown 314 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 1: sited in Northampton, England's and these these sightings occurred in 315 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,920 Speaker 1: the town for two months September and October. They were 316 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:41,639 Speaker 1: also the work of filmmakers. But the the stuff that 317 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:47,840 Speaker 1: we see happening after the US panic catches fire internationally. Uh, 318 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: this stuff is genuine like crime in Ontario and Canada, 319 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: people dressed up as clowns and we're chasing children when 320 00:19:55,720 --> 00:20:00,919 Speaker 1: they got dismissed from school. And then someone dressed as 321 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,119 Speaker 1: a clown was chasing down a group of people in 322 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: Chile with a baseball bat. People started using clown makeup 323 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,160 Speaker 1: and clown mask as a go to disguise in their 324 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: criminal endeavors. Yeah, I was reading a story about in 325 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:22,359 Speaker 1: Norway people were reporting that, uh, they would see weapon 326 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: wheel wielding clowns chasing cars and stuff. And apparently it 327 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: really did catch on in a couple of places in Scandinavia. Yeah, 328 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: in Sweden and October twelfth, there was someone dressed as 329 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 1: a clown who stabbed teenage boy with a knife, and 330 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:42,400 Speaker 1: there were some other stabbings across the world. Luckily these 331 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 1: appeared to be isolated incidents. Here's the thing that the 332 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:51,160 Speaker 1: international community reacted pretty strongly to this. There was a 333 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:56,720 Speaker 1: protest held by professional clowns in a real Grande do 334 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:02,720 Speaker 1: soul in Brazil. And here I believe it's time for 335 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 1: US to make a note, in the interest of fairness, 336 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:10,119 Speaker 1: we have to say hashtag not all clowns. There's a 337 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: huge industry of people who work professionally as clowns, you know, 338 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 1: in circus trained, academy, delte trained. And these folks have 339 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: no interest in committing crimes, you know what I mean. 340 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,480 Speaker 1: And they certainly don't want to be saddled with the 341 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,480 Speaker 1: stereotype that they want to say. You know, it's a 342 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:31,760 Speaker 1: job for them. They're they're not going to dress up 343 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: and wait in the woods to clown at children in 344 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 1: the dark. That would be like us waiting waiting into 345 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: the woods. And then podcast people hopefully less scary, way 346 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,359 Speaker 1: more nerdy. Yeah, I mean, no, you're right, it's a 347 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 1: it's a profession and in a lot of times, in 348 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,639 Speaker 1: a lot of cases of passion for for the the individual. Um. 349 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:54,119 Speaker 1: And then there's a quote here from this article in 350 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: spot nik news dot com and it says, this trend 351 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,399 Speaker 1: has a really unpleasant impact on us as professionals of 352 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,040 Speaker 1: this art. I and my colleagues in this state appear 353 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:05,120 Speaker 1: at various events, for example, at birthday celebrations and when 354 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: we go out in the street or arrive at these celebrations. 355 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,640 Speaker 1: People are looking at us strangely. Um, and you can 356 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 1: imagine how that would affect you. And it goes on 357 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: to say this has started to affect me. Customers are 358 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: canceling work, replacing clowns with something else. This is one 359 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 1: of the oldest professions in the world. Our goal is 360 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 1: to bring joy to everybody, from babies to one year olds. 361 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:31,479 Speaker 1: And this this is only one example of a larger 362 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:37,479 Speaker 1: global response. On October twelfth, the Russian embassy in London 363 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:41,879 Speaker 1: put out an official warning to u UK citizens and 364 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: Russians alike because of the clowns scare. So a country 365 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 1: state department said, Okay, if you're here in London, watch 366 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:55,920 Speaker 1: out for clowns. Yeah, it's um, I'm trying to think 367 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: of when it's akin to like an orange alert watch 368 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,199 Speaker 1: out for mog kind of thing, a clown watch the 369 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:07,120 Speaker 1: terror watch that we have, like how many Hanks is it? 370 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 1: You know, watch out? London is a four honk city, 371 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:16,000 Speaker 1: so out of context that that probably sounds very strange, 372 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: but it's it's a good question, you know. This reached 373 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:23,439 Speaker 1: state actor level, and then also private industry responded. There 374 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 1: were shops in New Zealand that stopped selling clown costumes 375 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:32,560 Speaker 1: or banned it. Many schools banned clown costumes or just 376 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 1: clown like stuff too. Right, Yeah, and this this also 377 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:41,400 Speaker 1: remember this is so this occurs hand in hand with 378 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:48,480 Speaker 1: public recognition of the music fan base. Right. The insane 379 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:52,680 Speaker 1: clown posse fans known as juggalos, who also, by the way, 380 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:54,960 Speaker 1: did not did not have a big part in this, 381 00:23:55,640 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: because again, hashtag not all clowns. So in October, though, 382 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 1: this starts to also hit one of the most popular 383 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: clowns in the United States, Ronald McDonald, is sent to 384 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,960 Speaker 1: the bench by his fast food owners because the heat 385 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,120 Speaker 1: got to him. He had to get a low profile. 386 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 1: Was too hot for ron so he left the public 387 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:23,640 Speaker 1: eye for a little while because the last thing McDonald's 388 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:28,240 Speaker 1: wanted to be associated with was, you know, being bad 389 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: in any way for children, other than, of course, the 390 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:36,440 Speaker 1: food at McDonald's. Hey, they've changed their game a little bit. 391 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:41,640 Speaker 1: Come on, and those fries still, man, they're great and honestly, 392 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,879 Speaker 1: as weird as it sounds, those chicken mcnugs, I'm telling you. 393 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 1: Do you think it's nostalgia? No, it's not. It's not. 394 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:51,880 Speaker 1: Part of you is still there now. I think they 395 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: up their game or something because we we were very 396 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,320 Speaker 1: reticent to get writer. I'm not promoting McDonald's right now, 397 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: I promise you. I'm just saying we I tried one 398 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:03,239 Speaker 1: of their chicken McNuggets to that I did remember as 399 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 1: a child not enjoying. But then, uh, they're much better now. 400 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:10,680 Speaker 1: That's all I'm saying. Well, you know what, Matt, maybe 401 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 1: I should give it. I should give it another shot. 402 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: I read a really interesting essay about the shape of 403 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,359 Speaker 1: those mc nuggets. They're you know, they're they're specific shapes 404 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:23,160 Speaker 1: and how they're created. But I'll still try umph Also, 405 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 1: Target pulled clown mask from all their stores and from 406 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 1: their website, and people started to look at this in 407 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 1: a critical analytical way. They said, Okay, these were reports 408 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:41,679 Speaker 1: don't actually have much in common. They're occurring in various 409 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,159 Speaker 1: parts of the world that are very different from one another. 410 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: They're often not every time, but often it appears there's 411 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: no real law that was broken. It's just someone being creepy. 412 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 1: In most cases amounted to something like, hey, there's a 413 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 1: suspicious person or group of people dressed in a way 414 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:03,399 Speaker 1: that may be uncomfortable. And another common trope was that 415 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: these clowns appeared to be as you said, no menacing people, 416 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:11,320 Speaker 1: and in many cases, uh, they were reported as giving chase, 417 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 1: although sometimes the victims would change their story and say, 418 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,480 Speaker 1: I thought this clown was gonna chase me. It was 419 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: just standing there. But there's a ton of YouTube prank 420 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:27,400 Speaker 1: videos creepy clowns chasing people like a lot, and those 421 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:29,480 Speaker 1: are for humor right there, for humor, but at the 422 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:35,119 Speaker 1: time the person featured has to sign a release afterwards 423 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: or something like that to be featured, and several of 424 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: those the faces of the victims are out, so they 425 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,639 Speaker 1: didn't get permission. I would just say that that's that 426 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: strikes me as illegal. That is a form of terrorism 427 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: in a way, if you're going to scare someone out 428 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: of their wits by dressing up as creepily as you can, 429 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 1: setting up a camera and then chasing somebody while they're 430 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: in year for their life. And some people can see 431 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 1: that as humorous, but we have to remember those folks 432 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 1: who were being chased, or those folks would be menaced, 433 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: are genuinely frightened. You know, they're terrified. And I would say, 434 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:17,800 Speaker 1: if you find that funny, maybe do some reevaluating. That's all, well, 435 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:21,640 Speaker 1: we can't emphasize this enough. There really were people dressed 436 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 1: as clowns, and they really were stalking and in some 437 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:31,879 Speaker 1: cases attacking folks across the planet. By October, a little 438 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: more than three years ago, exactly now, as you're listening 439 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:40,679 Speaker 1: to this news, pundits were we're so deep in this 440 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 1: story that they started reporting an alleged to get this 441 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:49,520 Speaker 1: clown lead purge or large scale attacks set to take 442 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:54,640 Speaker 1: place on Halloween. What's interesting about this kind of news 443 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:59,480 Speaker 1: story is that it doesn't It really doesn't take much 444 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:02,959 Speaker 1: for something to be alleged. It could be an anonymous 445 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,239 Speaker 1: tip to the news station that has no follow up, 446 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:11,399 Speaker 1: so we could literally be anyone calling it's incredibly unethical. 447 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:14,600 Speaker 1: But it could also be someone from the news station 448 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,360 Speaker 1: who was it was like, we need some hot for Saturday. 449 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: So luckily, there were no documented wide scale purges. However, 450 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:32,960 Speaker 1: on October one, Halloween, a family in you guessed it, Florida, 451 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: was attacked in mass by a group of people dressed 452 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: as clowns wearing clown mask They were attacked by about 453 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: twenty people. That's insane. Allegedly, they were checking their car 454 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,880 Speaker 1: right when this happened was like eleven pm at night. 455 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 1: Then all of a sudden, um, yea, these people show up. Yeah. Look, 456 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 1: you know we all have well have a pretty good 457 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,960 Speaker 1: fortitude stats. You know, if we're D and D characters, 458 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: we don't scare particularly easy. But even for us, getting 459 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:13,280 Speaker 1: run up on by twenty people dressed his clowns, that's 460 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:18,120 Speaker 1: a lot. That's that's a lot, especially if they are uh, 461 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: if they are armed blades or with you know, blunt 462 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: objects or god forbid guns. Well, yeah, I mean one 463 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,200 Speaker 1: of the one of the people. Okay, so let's just 464 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: talk about that. It was a It was a group 465 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:32,280 Speaker 1: of people in the car. I think it was five 466 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 1: people in a car, maybe more. Um, and they like 467 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 1: hit something in the car right there in their truck. 468 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: They're in this big truck. They hit something in your truck. 469 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 1: They got out and check out what it was they got. 470 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,719 Speaker 1: As they exited their vehicle to check on everything, they 471 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 1: get attacked by a bunch of people wearing masks, some 472 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: of them clown mass some of them appeared to be 473 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: what they would call purge masks. One of the victims 474 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 1: got stabbed in the head and another one got hit 475 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 1: in the head with a hockey stick. Um, it was 476 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 1: a real brutal attack. That is, this is just an 477 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 1: awful thing that occurred. Um. And apparently one of the 478 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: one of the victims, one of the people who got attacked, 479 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: recognized some team that was a part of the group, 480 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 1: right yet. Jeff Brown, who was one of the victims, 481 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 1: said that the group of clowns had a knife, hockey sticks, clubs, bats, 482 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:24,640 Speaker 1: and he was He said they were probably just looking 483 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,640 Speaker 1: for anyone who would get stopped at the light. And 484 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:29,880 Speaker 1: he said they was able to lift one of the 485 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: masks of a team off in the struggle and recognize 486 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 1: the kid as a kid from his neighborhood. As far 487 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: as we know, no arrest were made at least at 488 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:44,000 Speaker 1: the time of those stories reporting, so we don't know 489 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:47,360 Speaker 1: what happened with that. But we bring this example here 490 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 1: to emphasize that unlikes the Unlike some other outbreaks of 491 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:58,600 Speaker 1: hysteria or global panics, there were genuine crimes happening here. 492 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:01,640 Speaker 1: There were people can biring to dress up as clowns 493 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: and attack maybe random people, maybe people that they had 494 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:08,640 Speaker 1: their eye on for one reason or another. So these 495 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:13,960 Speaker 1: sightings were real, but what exactly was happening will attempt 496 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:23,600 Speaker 1: to answer that after a word from our sponsors. Okay, 497 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:26,920 Speaker 1: so was the I'll say it, I'll take the bullet 498 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:31,520 Speaker 1: on this one. Was this actually some sort of I 499 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 1: can't believe I'm saying this clown conspiracy to upset the 500 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:40,240 Speaker 1: status quo in some way through random acts of violence? Yeah, 501 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 1: like a Project Mayhem type thing, but with clowns. Uh 502 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: maybe yeah? Maybe? I mean, was this perhaps some sort 503 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:57,280 Speaker 1: of Juggalo esque protests? Again, as far as we know, 504 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: the Juggalo community was not involved with this panic, But 505 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:03,640 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like, was it some sort 506 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:07,239 Speaker 1: of thing that got spun into a different narrative by 507 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 1: the media, or was this just another example of mass 508 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,720 Speaker 1: hysteria like the Satanic panic? You know, Like, as we 509 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:17,360 Speaker 1: learned in our recent True True Detective episode, which is 510 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:22,160 Speaker 1: still my either my least or my most favorite title recently, 511 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:26,040 Speaker 1: as we learned there there's often more to the story 512 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: than we see reported in the news. To answer a 513 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:34,760 Speaker 1: question about this phenomenon, it's actually best for us to 514 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:38,400 Speaker 1: begin from a folklore angle. There's a guy named Benjamin 515 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: Radford go Benz who is the author of a book 516 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:45,600 Speaker 1: called Bad Clowns, and in his work Radford bus some 517 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:50,160 Speaker 1: myths that we have about clowning in the modern day. Specifically, 518 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:54,080 Speaker 1: he writes, it is misleading to ask when clowns turned bad, 519 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:58,520 Speaker 1: they were never really good, because although the word colophobia 520 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:02,160 Speaker 1: comes about in the Indies, the thing is clowns have 521 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 1: been around forever in myth and folklore, in unrelated cultures. 522 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:11,360 Speaker 1: People who had never met before they had things like clowns. 523 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: But they were often antagonistic. They were deceivers, they were tricksters. 524 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: They were associated with entering the edge of the edge 525 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:27,360 Speaker 1: of civilization, speaking hidden truths. They were associated with infernal 526 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 1: powers at times. And let's also consider Alex Pentlands, the 527 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:35,080 Speaker 1: author of a book called Social Physics, how good ideas spread. 528 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 1: He says, the clown phenomenon is in some ways just 529 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 1: the standard craze. He compares it actually to planking. You 530 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:46,320 Speaker 1: guys remember planking. Yeah, that's when you lay flat on 531 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 1: a thing. Yeah. And I walked in our in our 532 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 1: old office one time, I walked into our wreck room, 533 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:59,160 Speaker 1: and I learned about planking because as least as an exercise, 534 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: because I saw about fifteen or more of our colleagues, 535 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:08,400 Speaker 1: not speaking, just laying on the floor propped on their elbows, 536 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,879 Speaker 1: and I didn't know what to do. But I stood 537 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:13,880 Speaker 1: there for a second. No one said anything, no one 538 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:16,880 Speaker 1: looked at me, and so I decided the most prudent 539 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,439 Speaker 1: move was to walk out backwards, and that's what I did. 540 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:21,880 Speaker 1: Definitely keep an eye on everyone. There was a it 541 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:23,879 Speaker 1: was a it was a like a flash mob type 542 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:25,880 Speaker 1: phenomenon for a while wh people would like plank on 543 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 1: different things, like a cabinet or something and you'd walk in. 544 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,680 Speaker 1: There was an episode of the Office about it. M hmm, 545 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:34,399 Speaker 1: that's that's all I got on planking. Well, yeah, but 546 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 1: it just speaks to a larger thing. When it's kind 547 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 1: of what I was saying earlier, When there's a trending 548 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:45,799 Speaker 1: phenomena like that, it is in our nature to want 549 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:48,359 Speaker 1: to be a part of the group and you know, 550 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 1: glom onto it in a way or show your uniqueness 551 00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:53,960 Speaker 1: by doing this thing in a way that only you 552 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:58,040 Speaker 1: would do or could do. Um. And you know, we're 553 00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:01,320 Speaker 1: we're just basically comparing that. It's kind of what Pentland 554 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:04,360 Speaker 1: is doing here, um saying that this is what the 555 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:08,960 Speaker 1: clown thing was. It was another uh ice bucket challenge, 556 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:14,360 Speaker 1: right right. But he also said this fad. This clown 557 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:20,839 Speaker 1: sighting craze also hit upon a deeply buried cultural meme. 558 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 1: He said, children are scared of clowns, so this gives 559 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:28,160 Speaker 1: it more virility than another thing like an ice bucket challenge. 560 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 1: Uh not. You know, more people are probably terrified of 561 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 1: clowns than are of ice buckets. Did you hear that 562 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 1: the ice bucket challenge is a conspiracy theory about it? 563 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:37,960 Speaker 1: I did? Yeah, yeah, yeah, what is it? There's just 564 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:39,440 Speaker 1: thing I think it was just this one kind of 565 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:42,280 Speaker 1: fringe e writer selling Owens on the World that Daily, 566 00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:45,880 Speaker 1: accusing it of being some sort of satanic ritual tricking 567 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:49,839 Speaker 1: people into I don't know exactly what the logic is there, 568 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:52,320 Speaker 1: but you can you can. You can call anything. Any 569 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:56,080 Speaker 1: of these viral phenomenon could be construed as some sort 570 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: of mass ritual, right, I mean, that's sort of what 571 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:01,680 Speaker 1: it is. As people glom onto it and they recreated, 572 00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:06,480 Speaker 1: like the flash mobs versus the creepy clowns versus the planking, 573 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:08,520 Speaker 1: any of that kind of stuff you could look at 574 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:12,359 Speaker 1: as as some sort of weird um collective unconscience kind 575 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,360 Speaker 1: of like dance. Right. I don't know, anything can be 576 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: a ritual and anything could be a Satanic ritual, you know, 577 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,600 Speaker 1: if you have the right attitude about it. Isn't magic 578 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:24,880 Speaker 1: all about intentionality in theory, it's a call back to 579 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:29,759 Speaker 1: uh do what what was that our magic debate harmon Town. 580 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:35,399 Speaker 1: So with with this in mind, when we look at 581 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:39,640 Speaker 1: it from a folklore perspective, we see another salient point. 582 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 1: Also from the Guardian again they covered this like four 583 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:47,600 Speaker 1: or five different times, and they said they they also 584 00:36:47,719 --> 00:36:50,960 Speaker 1: attributed part of the panic to the ways in which 585 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:56,720 Speaker 1: it was described by print and broadcast media. They said, 586 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:01,479 Speaker 1: consider how charged the vocabulary of the reply worts will 587 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:04,480 Speaker 1: be when you hear this on your evening news. They 588 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:07,200 Speaker 1: don't say someone saw a clown. They refer to these 589 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,279 Speaker 1: things as sightings in the same way you would say 590 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:13,279 Speaker 1: someone cited, uh, there was a UFO sighting or a 591 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 1: lock Neest sighting, And it mythologizes these human beings when 592 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,920 Speaker 1: really they're just people in costumes. Yeah, and they can 593 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:24,920 Speaker 1: do it wherever they want as long as they're not 594 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:29,720 Speaker 1: hurting anybody. And then the idea, Okay, so the mirror 595 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:34,120 Speaker 1: over in the UK uh reports this. You know, in 596 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: the early days of the panic, spreading to the United Kingdom. 597 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 1: They say, quote uh in one of their headlines creepy 598 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:46,240 Speaker 1: clowns approach girls walking to school and terrifying UK craze. Uh. 599 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:52,640 Speaker 1: This was this was um variants of the first sentence 600 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 1: in the article, because the first sentence in the article 601 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:58,000 Speaker 1: in the Mirror says to schoolgirls were approached by two 602 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:01,200 Speaker 1: creepy clowns yesterday as the terror of fine American craze 603 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:06,040 Speaker 1: hits the UK. It's true that it was already quote 604 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:11,080 Speaker 1: American craze, but the headline calling it a terrifying UK 605 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:14,319 Speaker 1: craze wasn't true because there had only been a couple 606 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:18,480 Speaker 1: of incidents. How many incidents make a craze? Right? Like 607 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,720 Speaker 1: when when does a hill become a mountain? Kind of question? 608 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,480 Speaker 1: Right after it's a mole hill? Right, go straight from 609 00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:28,120 Speaker 1: mohill to mountain? And what's the size of a heap? 610 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:31,960 Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Yeah, there's linguistic ambiguity there, 611 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:34,480 Speaker 1: But it also could be kind of a self fulfilling 612 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,800 Speaker 1: prophecy to call this thing a craze before it happens. 613 00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:42,000 Speaker 1: I mean, you know if Paul Mission Control Decan and 614 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:44,960 Speaker 1: I go to Applebee's after this and then we start 615 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,240 Speaker 1: calling it the new Applebee's craze that's sweeping the nation. 616 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:51,920 Speaker 1: Would more people be likely to go because they want to? 617 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:55,759 Speaker 1: To your point, Matt, be part of the conversation. I 618 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 1: think you're right. Um, I think you might have to 619 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:03,120 Speaker 1: add in a few more people. If you've got like 620 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:07,640 Speaker 1: five posts that said the new Applebee's craze, I think 621 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:12,040 Speaker 1: you've got something going there. Not an advertisement for Applebee's, right, 622 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:19,440 Speaker 1: McDonald's nor McDonald's. But in this case, what we see, um, 623 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:25,480 Speaker 1: what we see very quickly is the clown stuff itself 624 00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:28,800 Speaker 1: is exactly as we described. It's sort of a viral 625 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:31,880 Speaker 1: phenomenon that, to your point, in old people glommed onto, 626 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 1: sometimes to assist in the execution of crimes they were 627 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:39,319 Speaker 1: already probably planning to do. In other cases it was 628 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:42,239 Speaker 1: people who said, we want to prank some folks. Um. 629 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:48,360 Speaker 1: But when we look into the psychological causes, the socio 630 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:53,160 Speaker 1: political environment and soil in which this thing existing grows, 631 00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:56,799 Speaker 1: then we see there's more to the story. We've talked 632 00:39:56,800 --> 00:40:01,000 Speaker 1: about this before, and this is probably just my own 633 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:05,560 Speaker 1: crippling cynicism. But anytime I see something that is not 634 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:09,160 Speaker 1: terrible go viral, I assume that it's being pushed to 635 00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:12,600 Speaker 1: cover up some real horrific, terrible thing happening. I don't 636 00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:16,120 Speaker 1: think you're far off, Ben, you do think, no, No, 637 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:19,279 Speaker 1: Although it is hard to predict virality, I will say 638 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:22,080 Speaker 1: that you know the intentions it maybe that, but it's 639 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:25,759 Speaker 1: like no one can guarantee a viral smash. Otherwise you 640 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,520 Speaker 1: know they'd be hiring those people left and right. So 641 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:31,040 Speaker 1: I've got a theory about this whole thing that i 642 00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:35,000 Speaker 1: want to present to you guys, all right, late on me. Okay, 643 00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:39,319 Speaker 1: here are the facts of Matt's theory. This h called 644 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:42,920 Speaker 1: the section Matt's Facts. Yes, sure, this is These are 645 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:47,120 Speaker 1: Mats facts. So we've got the gags, the clown incident 646 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:50,360 Speaker 1: that occurs when is it October? Is it October or 647 00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:55,040 Speaker 1: is it September? Though, right, the first one occurs in 648 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:59,880 Speaker 1: Green Bay, Wisconsin, August first, so that's August, early August twenties. 649 00:41:02,719 --> 00:41:07,000 Speaker 1: Then almost a year later, a year and a month later, 650 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:11,840 Speaker 1: the remake of Stephen King's It comes out, a major 651 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:18,799 Speaker 1: Hollywood production with massive marketing arms behind it. Okay, it 652 00:41:18,840 --> 00:41:25,080 Speaker 1: would be beneficial for the people making it to re 653 00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:29,319 Speaker 1: ignite people's fear of clowns. Well, you know about the 654 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:35,280 Speaker 1: phony clown protest, right, The phony clown protest was, according 655 00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:39,600 Speaker 1: to Vanity Fair, a clown rally against the IT movie, 656 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:43,200 Speaker 1: was actually a publicity stunt for the IT movie. Um, 657 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:45,600 Speaker 1: the new adaptations were probably been causing some problems for 658 00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:47,840 Speaker 1: real life clowns, whose businesses have allegedly suffered as a 659 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:52,120 Speaker 1: whole new generation of kids sour to bozos of the world, 660 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:54,800 Speaker 1: So it was hardly surprised when clowns planned to gather 661 00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:57,720 Speaker 1: and rally against It in New York. It turns out, however, 662 00:41:57,760 --> 00:41:59,759 Speaker 1: that the rally was a fake, nothing more than a 663 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:01,839 Speaker 1: public to the stunt in promotion of the very movie 664 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:04,719 Speaker 1: it claimed to be raging against. See. So this is 665 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:08,480 Speaker 1: what I'm saying, you guys. What if this entire thing, 666 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:12,680 Speaker 1: starting with gags and the short film or whatever was occurring, 667 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:16,840 Speaker 1: there was all a way to get clowns back into 668 00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:19,640 Speaker 1: our zeite guys, immediately the forefront of our minds, so 669 00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:21,320 Speaker 1: that it would come out and we would have to 670 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,680 Speaker 1: go see it. That's interesting. I don't I'm honest. I'm 671 00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:26,120 Speaker 1: gonna be honest with you, man, I don't know if 672 00:42:26,120 --> 00:42:28,760 Speaker 1: I'm a percent on board with it, because it feels 673 00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:33,040 Speaker 1: like when real acts of violence started to occur, the 674 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:36,440 Speaker 1: company or studio involved would want to distance themselves. Well, 675 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:39,680 Speaker 1: that's why they never admitted to doing it. That's why 676 00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:43,560 Speaker 1: they never admitted to starting the whole craze. See, okay, 677 00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:47,040 Speaker 1: so there on, we didn't start the fire. Yeah, they went, oh, 678 00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:49,879 Speaker 1: somebody got stabbed in the head. We're out, and we're out. 679 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:54,360 Speaker 1: Nobody say anything until the trailer releases. I mean maybe 680 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:58,600 Speaker 1: maybe perhaps I will say, though, because I knew I'm 681 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:01,560 Speaker 1: sounding a big conspiratorial here um, and it is just 682 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:05,000 Speaker 1: my opinion, I will say that now more than ever, 683 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:08,040 Speaker 1: to steal the line from Fox News. Yet again, it 684 00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:12,800 Speaker 1: is now more than ever. It is surprisingly easy for 685 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:17,960 Speaker 1: some people to influence virility and to determine which stories 686 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:23,120 Speaker 1: are seeing. If if anyone listening believes that Mark Zuckerberg 687 00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:27,960 Speaker 1: cannot literally ping someone at Facebook and say kill this 688 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:31,759 Speaker 1: story and promote this one, then you are being offensively 689 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:36,400 Speaker 1: naive like that. Because there's so few people who control 690 00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:40,440 Speaker 1: the faucets of information at this point, then clearly it 691 00:43:40,480 --> 00:43:42,640 Speaker 1: could happen. I'm not saying it does. I'm not saying 692 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:44,919 Speaker 1: this is a case in which that occurs, but I'm 693 00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:48,160 Speaker 1: saying the reality is there, and to think otherwise is 694 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:52,840 Speaker 1: at this point to be willfully ignorant of the reality. Yeah. No, 695 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:56,160 Speaker 1: I would agree. There are a lot of levers to 696 00:43:56,239 --> 00:43:59,360 Speaker 1: be pulled within the realms of social media and places 697 00:43:59,360 --> 00:44:02,360 Speaker 1: where you can those things and then have them become viral. 698 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:05,799 Speaker 1: Or what if? What if? Mett? What if? What if 699 00:44:05,840 --> 00:44:09,319 Speaker 1: you're right and you're you're even more right than the 700 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:13,680 Speaker 1: original theory? What if this all dating back to arguably 701 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:19,040 Speaker 1: was just one long viral lead up to the Yaching 702 00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:25,880 Speaker 1: Phoenix Joker philm Or maybe there's clown film collusion. Maybe 703 00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:28,880 Speaker 1: all of the studios that have on their slates of 704 00:44:28,960 --> 00:44:33,640 Speaker 1: content clown content, they've all gotten together to perpetrate this 705 00:44:33,800 --> 00:44:39,239 Speaker 1: conspiracy against the American public CFC Clown Film Collusion. Yeah, yeah, 706 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:43,160 Speaker 1: I think it was Stephen King himself in the gags, 707 00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:46,520 Speaker 1: the clown costume. Now he doesn't leave his manner, and 708 00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:52,040 Speaker 1: then it was Joe Hill himself. And it's tough to 709 00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:53,799 Speaker 1: tell the difference. You know, if you just saw those 710 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:56,040 Speaker 1: guys walking down the street, Joe Hill does look like 711 00:44:56,080 --> 00:45:00,719 Speaker 1: a young Stephen King I've never seen physically. Yeah, very 712 00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:05,439 Speaker 1: very much. That's unfortunate. Stephen King is a funny looking dude. 713 00:45:05,440 --> 00:45:08,600 Speaker 1: Always what you don't think? So? What a handsome devil? 714 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:11,480 Speaker 1: Stephen King? You're kidding me? I don't, I don't. I 715 00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:13,640 Speaker 1: think Stephen King himself would acknoledge that he's a funny 716 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:15,760 Speaker 1: looking dude. Have you seen creep Show? Or he plays 717 00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:21,560 Speaker 1: the weird guy? Yeah, but but I think he tells 718 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:25,719 Speaker 1: great stories. Shout out to rob By the way, that's right, 719 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:28,960 Speaker 1: shout out I just got a free trial to shut her. 720 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,239 Speaker 1: Oh it's great, just so I can watch. Um, so 721 00:45:31,280 --> 00:45:34,880 Speaker 1: I can watch, and I'm very much excited to do so. 722 00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:37,040 Speaker 1: Report back if you can't listen when you think when 723 00:45:37,080 --> 00:45:40,000 Speaker 1: you see it. This leads us to a question that 724 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:43,960 Speaker 1: we can't really answered today, A couple of questions, and 725 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:47,839 Speaker 1: one of them is this, does the access to ubiquitous 726 00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:51,319 Speaker 1: information give us more of an ability to think critically 727 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:54,480 Speaker 1: about things? Or does it give us more of an 728 00:45:54,480 --> 00:46:00,600 Speaker 1: opportunity to spread and transmit our own fears to other populations? Well, 729 00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:03,400 Speaker 1: it's both, right, depends on how you use it and 730 00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:06,040 Speaker 1: how you handle it, how you comport yourself in this 731 00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:10,760 Speaker 1: our internet age. And but which of those two I agree? 732 00:46:10,800 --> 00:46:15,719 Speaker 1: Which of those two. Uh, do we see happening more often? Yeah? Unfortunately, 733 00:46:15,719 --> 00:46:18,399 Speaker 1: I think it's the latter. Right, Yeah, I'm right there 734 00:46:18,440 --> 00:46:22,920 Speaker 1: with you. But we still have hope for the future, right. Uh. 735 00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:25,960 Speaker 1: And we know the outbreaks of widespread public hysteria are 736 00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:29,800 Speaker 1: surprisingly common in the historical record. We've got this great 737 00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:32,200 Speaker 1: book about it that I love around sometimes. And if 738 00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:36,480 Speaker 1: this odd story about the Great clown Panic of sixteen 739 00:46:36,560 --> 00:46:39,920 Speaker 1: is the Guardian called it, If this odd story leads 740 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:43,720 Speaker 1: us to anything, it's one crucial question. What new panic 741 00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:47,879 Speaker 1: looms on the horizon. Is it going to be something 742 00:46:47,920 --> 00:46:50,399 Speaker 1: about birds? I'm sorry, no, I just had to put 743 00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:54,400 Speaker 1: that in there. Are you ever seen the movie Bird Demmick. 744 00:46:56,840 --> 00:46:58,880 Speaker 1: It's like a really bad B movie about like a 745 00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:04,560 Speaker 1: bird panic situation. It's my personal hell um. But unfortunately 746 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:08,000 Speaker 1: it's so laughably made that it's not scary or anything. 747 00:47:08,040 --> 00:47:12,480 Speaker 1: But yeah, I know, birds are birds are bad news. Guys. Well, 748 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:15,680 Speaker 1: here here's the deal. Uh. You may be listening to 749 00:47:15,719 --> 00:47:20,680 Speaker 1: this right now on the eve of Halloween or the 750 00:47:20,719 --> 00:47:25,319 Speaker 1: eve of Hallows All Hallows eve. Um, And maybe you've 751 00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:27,399 Speaker 1: got your headphones in and you're walking around. Maybe it's 752 00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:29,600 Speaker 1: a nighttime, maybe your trick or treating. I don't know 753 00:47:29,640 --> 00:47:31,640 Speaker 1: if any of you are actually trick or treating while 754 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:34,000 Speaker 1: listening to this, but it's so lame that people that 755 00:47:34,360 --> 00:47:36,200 Speaker 1: people look as scance at you. If you do that 756 00:47:36,280 --> 00:47:38,840 Speaker 1: as an adult, it's like, come on, manh yeah, I 757 00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:40,560 Speaker 1: have a kid, so I get to pass. I guess. 758 00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:43,960 Speaker 1: But I question though, if Halloween is all Hallow's Eve, 759 00:47:44,080 --> 00:47:49,560 Speaker 1: is the next day all Hallows Day? Oh yeah, logically, 760 00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:54,880 Speaker 1: but no one really talks about that. It's not as fun, right, yeah. Also, 761 00:47:55,160 --> 00:47:57,600 Speaker 1: we want to hear from you. Do you think there 762 00:47:57,640 --> 00:47:59,279 Speaker 1: was anything more to this story? Do you think it 763 00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:03,160 Speaker 1: was just a public outbreak of panic? Is it Was 764 00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:07,000 Speaker 1: it more like an escape hatch or event for underlying 765 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:10,399 Speaker 1: anxieties and fears? And if so, what were those anxieties 766 00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:15,359 Speaker 1: and fears? Also, this is a personal note. Don't feel obligated, 767 00:48:15,680 --> 00:48:19,040 Speaker 1: but if you have a kick ass Halloween costume, we'd 768 00:48:19,080 --> 00:48:21,799 Speaker 1: love to see it, go ahead and feel free to 769 00:48:21,840 --> 00:48:25,160 Speaker 1: post it on our community page. Here's where it gets crazy. 770 00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:28,080 Speaker 1: Some of the best mods in the business or posted 771 00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:31,600 Speaker 1: to us on Instagram or Twitter. We are some derivation 772 00:48:31,640 --> 00:48:35,279 Speaker 1: of conspiracy stuff on all three of those conspiracy stuff 773 00:48:35,320 --> 00:48:38,600 Speaker 1: show on on Instagram. If you want to call us 774 00:48:38,920 --> 00:48:42,000 Speaker 1: while you're out doing whatever it is you are doing 775 00:48:42,080 --> 00:48:45,120 Speaker 1: on all Hello's Eve, that could be fun. Uh, give 776 00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:49,160 Speaker 1: us a call. We are one eight three three std 777 00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:53,680 Speaker 1: w y t K. Leave a message and we will 778 00:48:53,680 --> 00:48:56,200 Speaker 1: hear it. Um. If you don't want to do any 779 00:48:56,239 --> 00:48:58,319 Speaker 1: of that stuff and you have something you want to 780 00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:00,719 Speaker 1: talk to us about or say, send us a good 781 00:49:00,719 --> 00:49:23,400 Speaker 1: old fashioned email. We are conspiracy at iHeart radio dot com. 782 00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:25,320 Speaker 1: Stuff they Don't Want You to Know is a production 783 00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:28,120 Speaker 1: of i Heeart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more podcasts 784 00:49:28,160 --> 00:49:30,359 Speaker 1: from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 785 00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:33,320 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.