Is McDonald’s worried about coulrophobia?

It will be an uphill battle for McDonald’s as it uses a sporty, animated Ronald McDonald to promote active lifestyles. There’s the anti-fast-food contingent, which will look cynically on the initiative. And then there’s a group that may be smaller but is rabid and may quite possibly be insane: the anti-clown community. Check out the welcome message on ihateclowns.com: “There are people in this world who dress up and act like clowns; I don’t like these people. I am not clownophobic (or to be politically/scientifically correct, coulrophobic). I do not fear clowns. Really. I don’t. They are just not nice people. They scare little kids, they cause neurosis in some adults, they have big floppy feet, they try to fit too many of their kind in a car, I could go on and on.” And this, from a site explaining coulrophobia: “Clowns represent anarchy, the personifications of unreason, and a force of nature out of control. Who knows what really lies behind their unchanging painted faces and outlandish costumes? These are all good enough reasons for even the strongest and most adult of us to feel unease in the presence of a clown.” If you feel an irresistible urge for comfort food after seeing Ronald, now you know why.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

June 10, 2005 | Permalink