Why Are We So Afraid of Clowns?
When the slap happened at The Oscars in March, I felt it was a culmination point in terms of comedy. I was navigating the dimensions: horrified by Will Smith’s actions, impressed by Chris Rock’s composure, pondering the Jada-Will dynamic, contemplating whether Chris knew about Jada’s alopecia, puzzling over the lack of Academy intervention, gobsmacked by the Best Actor standing ovation and Will Smith’s resulting speech. But amid it all, I was feeling something else, something in regard to the role of The Clown in contemporary culture.