Clown lives matter.

A year ago spotting a clown on the street would not result in someone screaming and sprinting away, but today, it does.

Over the past few weeks, clowns have been spotted across the country terrorizing, and in some cases, chasing, people. This trend has set off many incidents, some even resulting in school lockdowns and office closings.  

However, the real question is, what happens to the actual clowns, the ones that go to kids birthday parties and circus events to make an income? This question has been addressed and it appears that these incidents have a true impact on real clowns.

According to a Oct. 7 Wall Street Journal article, there has been a decrease in clown bookings and clown invitations to parades. Some clowns have been arrested just for doing their jobs.

This sparks many more questions; for example does this clown epidemic mean the end of clowns for good? Could an internet trend potentially get rid of an entire occupation?

“I think people are dressing up as clowns to scare people because it has gone viral on the internet and they are just taking part in the trend,” freshman Niamh Haynos said. “I think the only way it will be stopped is, like all internet trends, just wait for it to wear off and become less popular.”

With the whole nation on a clown frenzy, some clowns fear wearing their costume out in public. In recent cases and videos on social media, people have been fighting back and abusing scary clowns. Therefore when a real clown appears in public, they are at risk of being assaulted just for wearing their job attire.

According to the WSJ article, the clown sighting first started in August in South Carolina, when clowns were trying to lure children into the woods. The sightings have now spread to 38 states and possibly more in the future.

Some sightings have even resulted in arrests, but the police department is trying to keep the situation controlled.

According to senior Becca Clem, however, the incidents will stop eventually because the scary clowns are only trying to get attention. They are continuing because they are in the spotlight, but when people stop caring, the sightings will dwindle.  

The fear of clowns is nothing new, thanks to characters like the Joker, but the hysteria of clowns is. That’s why when a real clown walks down the street, they could have the real chance of getting arrested.  

According to an Oct. 8 CBS News article, every report the authorities get has to be taken seriously as a potential threat, even though sometimes the sightings have been a hoax.

Even though scary clowns are a real threat, real clowns are the ones who are getting impacted directly. Ironically, instead of trying to make people laugh, they are beginning to make people scream.