Beware of the Clowns?
Dr. John Woods 10.03.16
The reason preppers and survivalists do what they do is to be prepared for any contingency that might threaten them or their families. When we think of SHTF events, we rarely think of any kind of personal attacks or aggressive behaviors by individuals with bubbles that do not balance. More and more the world is full of those types.
I know Halloween is not that far off, but it’s a little early to be dressing in costumes trying to scare people in public. Is there more to this? It first started a month or so ago in North Carolina when people reported sightings of clowns in the woods. Some were individuals, other times there were multiple numbers of people dressed as clowns just standing there. For many people, clowns are an ominous figure, scary.
Then in September a county sheriff deputy driving his security route spotted a clown standing beside the roadway near Tchula, Mississippi. He was quoted as saying he just thought it was a kid pulling a prank, but then he saw the person carrying a weapon he thought was a machete. By the time he turned his patrol car around the clown had disappeared into the woods.
A few days later a threat call to a local elementary school reported that clowns were seen in the nearby woods. The caller reported the clowns intended to go into the school to scare the kids. The school administration closed the school for the day, but nothing else was known to occur.
A week later another clown figure was spotted standing alongside the Natchez Trace Parkway outside of Ridgeland, Mississippi. Police received multiple reports on that one, but no one was found in the area. Though we generally used to think of clowns as a happy, funny figure, these sightings have generated a number of concerns of fear. We can only speculate if that is the intended purpose of these people dressing up like clowns and appearing out of nowhere.
Serious enough have been these sightings that members of the legislature are calling for laws against wearing masks in public. It is anybody’s guess if those recommendations will see any action.
So, what are we to think? While we hope such activities are simply harmless pranks, we must keep our eyes open for offensive behaviors and be prepared for appropriate defense. This again brings up the due diligence of situational awareness. Don’t live in fear; live in preparedness.
[Ed: Also in need of increased situation awareness is anyone who’s in the habit of wandering around in the woods with a clown costume on. You’re likely to get shot, and since you’re dressed as a clown you’ll be a pretty easy target. The colors aren’t exactly cammo, and it has to be hard to run in those shoes.]
