I am scared of people who wear clown noses.<\/p>\n
No, I am not scared of clowns<\/em>. I like clowns! Clowns are fun.<\/p>\n I am scared of people<\/em> who are merely wearing clown noses. It’s a subtle distinction, but I was trained to see it as an important one.<\/p>\n A few years ago, I took a couple of clown courses. I didn’t go to a full-time circus school or anything (and yes, they do exist), but I did a couple of one-day-per-weekend-for-six-weeks courses.<\/p>\n About the only skill I notice myself still using from the course is that I can better accept applause.<\/p><\/div>\n Our teacher spent some time explaining the nature of clown. He emphasized the difference between a real person and a clown character. He was dismissive of people who can’t make a sharp distinction between a character and their own personalities.<\/p>\n He explained that the red nose represented a vestigial mask. He used it as a prop to clearly separate these two worlds. When we were doing an exercise it was “noses on”; we must remain in character. When he was explaining<\/em> an exercise, it was “noses off” so that we would listen as people; as clowns we would have hardly deigned to sit still and listen to an authority figure.<\/p>\n You must realise that a clown character isn’t someone who wears a silly red (prosthetic) nose. The clown character is someone who has<\/em> a silly red nose.<\/p>\n This means that no matter how much discomfort is being caused by the hard, rough and sharp plastic edges being pushed tight against the sensitive skin on your face, you must not be seen to adjust your nose. That would be dropping out of character – a sin to do in front of the audience.<\/p>\n The teacher was constantly barking at students to “STOP TOUCHING YOUR NOSE!” as they performed their exercises.<\/p>\n Overall, the courses were quite fun; I looked forward to them each week. However, I think I was slightly traumatised by this treatment. I continue to revere the red nose as a magic mask that transforms personalities. Wearing the nose is a serious commitment to staying in clown character. It is, ever-so-slightly, holy.<\/p>\n When I see non-clowns wearing the nose and not following the rules of clown, I feel the nose is cheapened.<\/p>\n Hey, look, I’ll get over it. Don’t worry too much about me. Just understand why I would rather just give a donation than buy a nose on Red Nose Day<\/a>. It is in support of a worthy charity, but leaves me shuddering slightly all day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am scared of people who wear clown noses.<\/p>\n