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The Great Clown Panic of 2016 · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, everyone. You know I've been seeing a lot about
• 0:02
  creepy clowns lately.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: Mm hmm.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: It's like every few years those stories kind of bubble
• 0:07
  up again, right, and honestly it's a little unsettling. So
• 0:11
  today we're doing a deep dive on this whole clown
• 0:14
  panic thing. Okay, why do clowns freak us out so much?
• 0:20
  Is it just panks or is there something deeper going on?
• 0:23
  To help unpack all this, we've got a real expert
• 0:26
  with us. Expert speaker name, folklorist and author of Bad Clowns.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Well, it's always intriguing to see how these recurring themes
• 0:33
  pop up in our culture. Clowns are a perfect example
• 0:36
  of how something seemingly harmless can become a source of
• 0:39
  widespread anxiety. Totally, but we can learn a lot by
• 0:42
  looking at the patterns and psychology behind these events.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Okay, so this isn't exactly a new thing, right. Weren't
• 0:48
  there clown scares back in the eighties? I vaguely remember
• 0:50
  something like that.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: You're absolutely right. The nineteen eighties were a time of
• 0:54
  heightened anxiety, especially around the idea of satanic panic. Oh yeah,
• 1:00
  was a widespread belief that satanic cults were lurking in
• 1:03
  the shadows, and clowns, with their often exaggerated features and
• 1:07
  association with the uncanny, became a symbol of that fear.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Wow, that's kind of dark. Yeah, So you're saying that
• 1:14
  clowns were almost like a symbol of that era as
• 1:16
  anxieties precisely.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: And what's interesting is how these anxieties can manifest in
• 1:21
  cultural friends. It's like these fears find an outlet, and
• 1:25
  sometimes that outlet is a person dressed as a clown.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Okay, I'm starting to see how this works. Yeah, but
• 1:31
  what about today? What's triggering these clown sightings now? Is
• 1:34
  it the same kind of thing or is there something
• 1:36
  different going on?
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: Well, it seems we're seeing a resurgence of these clown panics.
• 1:40
  Back in twenty sixteen, for example, there was a massive
• 1:44
  wave of reported clown sightings really both in the US
• 1:48
  and internationally.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Wow.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Some of these involve people actually dressing up as clowns
• 1:53
  and acting menacingly, while others were more like unsubstantiated rumors
• 1:59
  and stories that spread like wildfire online.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: So it's not always a case of someone in a
• 2:04
  clown costume actually trying to scare people, right, yeah, okay.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: And this is where we get into the really interesting
• 2:09
  distinction between what we call stalker clowns and phantom clowns.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: Okay, let's unpack this. Stocker clowns and phantom clowns.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: So, stalker clowns are real people, often just looking for
• 2:20
  a prank or some quick attention. Okay, they might not
• 2:22
  have malicious intent, but their actions can still be unsettling,
• 2:27
  to say the least. Phantom clowns, on the other hand,
• 2:30
  those are a bit more mysterious.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Mysterious you're gonna have to elaborate on that.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: These phantom clowns are often reported by children who claim
• 2:38
  to have seen clowns trying to lure them away.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: Oh wow.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: But here's the thing. There's rarely any evidence to support
• 2:46
  these claims. Really, they often turn out to be more
• 2:49
  like urban legends or stories that get amplified and distorted
• 2:53
  as they're passed along.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: So we have real life pranksters and these almost mythical
• 2:58
  phantom clowns that might be more about our perceptions than
• 3:02
  actual threats. It's a strange mix. Yeah, but why clowns.
• 3:08
  Why not say garden gnomes or something.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: That's a great question, and this is where things get
• 3:12
  really interesting. Okay, there's something about the clown image itself
• 3:15
  that seems to lend itself to unease. Right, the exaggerated features,
• 3:20
  the makeup, hiding their true identity.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: It is kind of creepy now that you mentioned.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it plays into this primal fear of the unknown,
• 3:28
  right of something not being what it seems.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Okay, that makes a lot of sense. It's like a
• 3:33
  creepy mask is unsettling on its own, but when it's
• 3:36
  a clown, it taps into a whole other level of
• 3:38
  weird because we associate clowns of being happy and goofy exactly.
• 3:43
  But you mentioned people intentionally dressing up as clowns to
• 3:46
  scare people. What's the motivation there? Is it just for
• 3:49
  kicks or is there something more to it?
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: Well, for some, it might be as simple as wanting
• 3:54
  to go viral. Oh really, social media plays a huge
• 3:57
  role here. Oh gosh, Okay, imagine put on a creepy
• 4:00
  clown mask. Yeah, film a prank and become an Internet
• 4:04
  sensation overnight. It's a powerful motivator.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Wow. So in a way, it's a weird, twisted form
• 4:11
  of fame seeking in a way yes, wow.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: But for others, Yeah, it might be about tapping into
• 4:16
  that same sense of unease we were just talking about.
• 4:19
  There are people who get a thrill out of seeing
• 4:22
  those reactions, out of knowing they have the power to
• 4:25
  elicit fear.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: So we've got the intentional pranksters, right, and we've got
• 4:29
  these more nebulous phantom clowns that might just be products
• 4:33
  of our imaginations. But then there's the news media. It
• 4:38
  seems like they jump on these stories pretty quickly.
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they do.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: Doesn't that just make things worse?
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: That's a really important point. It's a tricky balance, right.
• 4:47
  On the one hand, Yeah, the news has a responsibility
• 4:50
  to report on what people are talking about, Okay, what's
• 4:53
  causing fear and concern and communities, right, I can see that.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: But at the same time, yeah, there's a danger of
• 4:59
  giving the stories more oxygen, of amplifying them to the
• 5:03
  point where they create unnecessary panic.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: It's like this vicious cycle of fear and media hype
• 5:08
  and it's all fueled by clowns. It's hard to believe.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: It is a strange loop, isn't it. Yeah, And this
• 5:14
  is where things get really interesting, Okay, because it starts
• 5:17
  to say less about clowns themselves and more about how
• 5:21
  we consume and spread information.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: You're talking about that whole priming thing again, right, exactly,
• 5:27
  the idea that the more we hear about something, the
• 5:30
  more likely we are to see it everywhere we go.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: Precisely, our brains are wired to look for patterns and
• 5:37
  make connections, Okay, even when they might not actually be there.
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: So let's say I binge watch a documentary about I
• 5:44
  don't know sharks.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Suddenly I'm seeing sharks everywhere in the vaptom in my
• 5:47
  coffee cuts.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: Exactly. Our perception can become skewed based on what we're
• 5:52
  exposed to. Wow, it's like if you're constantly bombarded with
• 5:55
  stories about creepy clowns, Yeah, you start seeing them everywhere,
• 5:59
  even if it's just a guy in a tracksuit carrying
• 6:02
  a bunch of balloon Oh man.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: That's both fascinating and a little bit terrifying. Right. It's
• 6:07
  like our brains can play tricks on us. And you
• 6:10
  mentioned earlier that eyewitness accounts can be unreliable, especially when
• 6:14
  people are scared.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, when we're afraid, our senses are heightened and we're
• 6:19
  more likely to misinterpret what we see. Yeah, shadows become
• 6:22
  lurking figures, okay, Rustling leaves become footsteps, oh yeah, and
• 6:27
  that guy in the tracksuit definitely a clown.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: Okay, I get it. But seriously, this is all starting
• 6:33
  to make a lot of sense now, good. So knowing
• 6:36
  all of this, how our brains are wired, yea, how
• 6:40
  easily our perceptions can be influenced, how do we break
• 6:44
  the cycle? How do we navigate a world where information
• 6:48
  and misinformation, yeah, spreads so quickly.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: That's the million dollar question, isn't it?
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: It really is.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: I think a big part of it is being aware
• 6:56
  of these biases, these psychological mechanisms that are at play.
• 7:00
  When we understand how easily our perception can be influenced,
• 7:04
  we can start to question what we see and hear,
• 7:07
  especially when it comes to things that tap into our fears.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: So it's about developing a healthy dose of skepticism exactly,
• 7:13
  not becoming completely cynical, but learning to take things with
• 7:17
  a grain of salt, especially when it comes to things
• 7:19
  we see online.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: Exactly. Think about it this way. We teach kids to
• 7:24
  look both ways before crossing the street, right right. It's
• 7:27
  about being pautious, aware of potential dangers. Right, we need
• 7:32
  to develop that same kind of awareness when it comes
• 7:34
  to the information we consume.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: That's a great analogy. So how do we do that?
• 7:38
  How do we become more discerning consumers of information, especially
• 7:42
  in a world where everyone seems to be shouting their
• 7:45
  opinions from the rooftops. Yes, literally and figuratively.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: It's about asking questions, Okay, being curious, right, not just
• 7:53
  accepting things at face value. When you see a headline
• 7:56
  about creepy clowns terrorizing a town, for example, don't just
• 8:01
  hit that share button. Take a moment to consider the source.
• 8:05
  Are there multiple news outlets reporting the same story? We
• 8:09
  are there any eyewitness accounts that have been verified?
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: So it's about being more like a detective, Yes, looking
• 8:16
  for clues and evidence before we jump to conclusions. I
• 8:22
  like that, And.
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: Remember sometimes there's no need to jump to conclusions at all. Right,
• 8:26
  It's okay to sit with uncertainty, to acknowledge that we
• 8:30
  don't have all the answers. In fact, embracing that uncertainty
• 8:35
  can be incredibly freeing.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: That's a great point. It's easy to get caught up
• 8:40
  in the hype the need to have an opinion on everything. Yes,
• 8:43
  but sometimes it's okay to just say, you know what,
• 8:46
  I don't know enough about this to form an opinion,
• 8:49
  and that's.
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: Okay, absolutely right, And it's about being mindful of what
• 8:52
  we share.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: Well. A good point, even if we don't intend any
• 8:55
  harm spreading misinformation, even if it seems harmless, that the
• 9:00
  time can have real world consequences. It's like that old
• 9:03
  saying a lie can travel halfway around the world while
• 9:07
  the truth is still putting on its shoes exactly, except
• 9:10
  now with social media, that a lie can travel around
• 9:13
  the world a thousand times over before the truth has
• 9:16
  even had a chance to stand up exactly. It's crazy.
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: I know, it's amazing.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: So yes, it's about being critical, but it's also about
• 9:24
  being responsible. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to
• 9:29
  each other to be mindful of the information we put
• 9:31
  out into the world.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: I agree.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: I love that. Yeah, critical thinking and responsibility, those are
• 9:36
  two great takeaways from all this. But it's also about
• 9:39
  remembering that our fears are valid, even if the threats
• 9:42
  themselves might be overblown.
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: Absolutely right. It's okay to be afraid of clowns or
• 9:48
  the dark or whatever it is that sets you off. Sure,
• 9:51
  those fears come from somewhere, They have a purpose, right.
• 9:54
  It's not about suppressing those fears, but about understanding them,
• 9:59
  acknowledging them, examining them, and then asking ourselves, Okay, what's
• 10:04
  the rational response here?
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: That makes a lot of sense. Right, So the next
• 10:08
  time we see a headline about creaky clowns terrorizing a town,
• 10:12
  we can take a deep breath, remember our conversation and
• 10:15
  approach the information with a more discerning eye.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: Precisely, and that, my friend, is the key to navigating
• 10:22
  not just the clown panic, but the constant influx of information.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: And misinformation right that we face in this day and age.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: Well said, I think that's a great place to wrap
• 10:32
  up this part of our deep dive. It's been fascinating
• 10:35
  and a little bit creepy exploring the world of clown
• 10:37
  panics with you.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: It has been interesting, but I.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: Think we've all learned some valuable lessons about psychology, media literacy,
• 10:46
  and the importance of critical thinking.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: I agree.
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: We'll be back in just a moment to talk about
• 10:50
  how all of this ties into even bigger issues.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: Sounds good.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: It is a bit of a strange loop, isn't it.
• 10:56
  It is and this is where things get really interesting,
• 11:00
  because it starts to say less about clowns themselves and
• 11:04
  more about how we consume and spread information.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: Exactly.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: You're talking about that whole priming thing again, right.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: The idea that the more we hear about something, the
• 11:13
  more likely we are to see it everywhere we go.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: Precisely, your brains are wired to look for patterns to
• 11:20
  make connections, even when they might not actually be there.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: So let's say I binge watch a documentary about I
• 11:27
  don't know sharks. Okay, suddenly I'm seeing sharks everywhere, in
• 11:31
  the bathtub, in my coffee cup.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: Exactly. Our perception can become skewed based on what we're
• 11:38
  exposed to. Wow, it's like, if you're constantly bombarded with
• 11:42
  stories about creaky clowns, you start seeing them everywhere, even
• 11:46
  if it's just a guy in a tracksuit carrying a
• 11:48
  bunch of balloons.
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: Oh man, that's both fascinating and a little bit terrifying. Right,
• 11:53
  It's like our brains can play tricks on us.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: They do.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: And you mentioned earlier that eyewitness accounts can be unreliable,
• 11:59
  especially when people are scared. Absolutely, I'm guessing that pleas
• 12:02
  into this whole thing too.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, when we're afraid, our senses are heightened and we're
• 12:07
  more likely to misinterpret what we see. Shadows become lurking figures,
• 12:12
  Rustling leaves become footsteps.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and that.
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: Guy in the tracksuit definitely a cloud.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: Okay, I get it. But seriously, this is all starting
• 12:25
  to make a lot of sense now.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: Good.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: So, knowing all of this, how our brains are wired,
• 12:30
  how easily our perceptions can be influenced, how do we
• 12:34
  break the cycle?
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: That's a good question.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: How do we navigate a world where information and misinformation
• 12:40
  spreads so quickly?
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: That's the million dollar question, isn't it?
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: It really is.
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: I think a big part of it is being aware
• 12:47
  of these biases, these psychological mechanisms that are at play.
• 12:51
  When we understand how easily our perception can be influenced,
• 12:56
  we can start to question what we see and hear,
• 12:59
  especially when it comes to things that tap into our fears.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: So it's about developing a healthy dose of skepticism exactly,
• 13:06
  not becoming completely cynical, but learning to take things with
• 13:11
  a grain of solve, especially when it comes to things
• 13:13
  we see online.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: Exactly. Think about it this way, Yeah, we teach kids
• 13:17
  to look both ways before crossing the street, right, Right,
• 13:21
  it's about being cautious, sure, aware of potential dangers.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: Right.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: We need to develop that same kind of awareness when
• 13:29
  it comes to the information we consume.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: That's a great analogy. Thanks, So how do we do that?
• 13:35
  How do we become more discerning consumers of information, especially
• 13:38
  in a world where everyone seems to be shouting their
• 13:41
  opinions from the rooftops. Yes, literally and figuratively.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: It's about asking questions, being curious, right, not just accepting
• 13:49
  things at face value. Sure, when you see a headline
• 13:52
  about creepy clowns terrorizing a town, for example, Yeah, don't
• 13:55
  just hit that share button, take a moment to consider
• 13:59
  the source.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: Okay?
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: Are there multiple news outlets reporting the same story? Are
• 14:04
  there any eyewitness accounts that have been verified?
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: So it's about being more like a detective, Yes, looking
• 14:11
  for clues and evidence before we jump to conclusions.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: Precisely. I like that, And remember sometimes there's no need
• 14:18
  to jump to conclusions at all. Right, It's okay to
• 14:21
  sit with uncertainty, to acknowledge that we don't have all
• 14:24
  the answers. In fact, embracing that uncertainty can be incredibly freeing.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: That's a great point.
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: Thanks.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: It's easy to get caught up in the hype the
• 14:34
  need to have an opinion on everything. Yes, but sometimes
• 14:37
  it's okay to just say, yeah, you know what, m hm,
• 14:41
  I don't know enough about this deformed opinion, and that's okay,
• 14:44
  absolutely right.
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: And it's about being mindful of what we share.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: Oh, that's a good point.
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: Even if we don't intend any harm, spreading misinformation, even
• 14:54
  if it seems harmless at the time, can have real
• 14:56
  world consequences.
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: That's like i'ld saying, yeah, a lie can travel halfway
• 15:00
  around the world. Well, the truth is still putting on
• 15:03
  its shoes exactly, except now with social media, that lie
• 15:07
  can travel around the world a thousand times over before
• 15:10
  the truth has even had a chance to stand up exactly.
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: It's crazy, it's amazing.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: So yes, it's about being critical, but it's also about
• 15:18
  being responsible. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to
• 15:22
  each other to be mindful of the information we put
• 15:26
  out into the world.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: I agree.
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: I love that. Tritical thinking and responsibility, those are two
• 15:31
  great takeaways from all of this. Absolutely, but it's also
• 15:33
  about remembering that our fears are valid, even if the
• 15:36
  threats themselves might be overblown.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: Absolutely right, It's okay to be afraid of clowns or
• 15:43
  the dark or whatever it is that sets you off. Sure,
• 15:47
  those fears come from somewhere, They have a purpose. It's
• 15:50
  not about suppressing those fears, but about understanding them, acknowledging them,
• 15:55
  examining them, and then asking ourselves, Okay, what's the rational response.
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: Here makes a lot of sense. So the next time
• 16:02
  we see a headline about creepy clowns terrorizing a town,
• 16:07
  we can take a deep breath, remember our conversation and
• 16:11
  approach the information with a more discerning eye.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: Precisely, and that, my friend, is the key to navigating
• 16:20
  not just the clown panic, but the constant influx of
• 16:24
  information and misinformation we face in this day and age.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Well said, I think that's a great place to wrap
• 16:30
  up this deep dive. It's been fascinating. It has been interesting,
• 16:33
  a little bit creepy exploring the world of clown panics
• 16:36
  with you.
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: It has been fun, but I.
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: Think we've all learned some valuable lessons about psychology, yes,
• 16:43
  media literacy, and the importance of critical thinking. So to
• 16:47
  our listeners out there, thanks for joining us on this
• 16:50
  journey into the heart of a cultural phenomena.
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: Yes, thank you.
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: Until next time, stay curious, stay skeptical. Good advice, and
• 16:59
  remember sometimes the scariest monsters are the ones we create ourselves.
• 17:05
  It is a bit of a strange loop, isn't it.
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: It is a strange loop.
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: And this is where things get really interesting. Yeah, because
• 17:11
  it starts to say less about clowns themselves and more
• 17:14
  about how we can sume and spread information Exactly. You're
• 17:18
  talking about that whole priming thing again, right, Yeah, the
• 17:21
  idea that the more we hear about something, the more
• 17:23
  likely we are to see it everywhere we go.
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: Precisely, our brains are wired to look for patterns to
• 17:29
  make connections, even when they might not actually be there.
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: So let's say I binge want a documentary about I
• 17:35
  don't know sharks. Suddenly I'm seeing sharks everywhere in the baptub,
• 17:39
  in my coffee cup Exactly.
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: Our perception can become skewed based on what we're exposed to. Wow,
• 17:45
  It's like, if you're constantly bombarded with stories about creepy clowns,
• 17:50
  you start seeing them everywhere, even if it's just a
• 17:52
  guy in a tracksuit carrying a bunch of balloons.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: Oh man, that's both fascinating and a little bit terrifying.
• 17:59
  It's like our brain can play tricks on us. And
• 18:01
  you mentioned earlier that eyewitness accounts can be unreliable, especially
• 18:05
  when people are scared. Absolutely, getting that plays into this
• 18:08
  whole thing too.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, when we're afraid, our senses are heightened and we're
• 18:12
  more likely to misinterpret what we see. Shadows become lurking figures,
• 18:16
  rustling leaves become footsteps, and that guy in the tracksuit
• 18:20
  definitely a clown.
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: Okay, I get it. But seriously, this is all starting
• 18:24
  to make a lot of sense now. So knowing all
• 18:26
  of this, how our brains are wired, how easily our
• 18:29
  perceptions can be influenced, how do we break the cycle?
• 18:33
  How do we navigate a world where information and misinformation
• 18:37
  spreads so quickly?
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: That's a million dollar question, isn't it?
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: It really is.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: I think a big part of it is being aware
• 18:43
  of these biases, these psychological mechanisms that are at play. Okay,
• 18:48
  when we understand how easily our perception can be influenced,
• 18:52
  we can start to question what we see and hear,
• 18:55
  especially when it comes to things that tap into our fears.
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: So it's about developing a healthy dose of skepticism exactly,
• 19:01
  not becoming completely cynical, but learning to take things with
• 19:04
  a grain of salt, especially when it comes to things
• 19:07
  we see online.
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: Exactly. Think about it this way. We teach kids to
• 19:10
  look both ways before crossing the street, right, It's about
• 19:13
  being cautious, aware of potential dangers. We need to develop
• 19:18
  that same kind of awareness when it comes to the
• 19:20
  information we consume.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: That's a great analogy, thanks, So how do we do that?
• 19:24
  How do we become more discerning consumers of information, especially
• 19:28
  in a world where everyone seems to be shouting their
• 19:30
  opinions from the rooftops literally and figuratively.
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: It's about asking questions, being curious, not just accepting things
• 19:38
  at face value. When you see a headline about creepy
• 19:40
  clowns terrorizing a town, for example, don't just hit that
• 19:44
  share button. Take a moment to consider the source. Are
• 19:48
  there multiple news outlets reporting the same story? Are there
• 19:51
  any eyewitness accounts that have been verified?
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: So it's about being more like a detective, looking for
• 19:57
  clues and evidence before we jump to conclusion.
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: Precisely, I like that, and remember sometimes there's no need
• 20:03
  to jump to conclusions at all. It's okay to sit
• 20:05
  with uncertainty, to acknowledge that we do don't have all
• 20:08
  the answers. In fact, embracing that uncertainty can be incredibly freeing.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: That's a great point.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: Thanks.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: It's easy to get caught up in the hype the
• 20:16
  need to have an opinion on everything. Yes, but sometimes
• 20:18
  it's okay to just say, you know what, I don't
• 20:20
  know enough about this to form an opinion, and.
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: That's okay, absolutely right. And it's about being mindful of
• 20:26
  what we share.
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: Oh, that's a good point.
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: Even if we don't intend any harms, spreading misinformation, even
• 20:31
  if it seems harmless at the time, can have real
• 20:34
  world consequences.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: It's like that old saying a lie can travel halfway
• 20:38
  around the world while the truth is still putting on
• 20:40
  its shoes, except now, with social media, that lie can
• 20:45
  travel around the world a thousand times over before the
• 20:48
  truth has even had a chance to stand up.
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: Exactly.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: It's crazy.
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: I know, it's amazing.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: So yes, it's about being critical, but it's also about
• 20:55
  being responsible. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to
• 20:59
  each other. Be mindful of the information we put out
• 21:02
  into the world.
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: I agree.
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: I love that critical thinking and responsibility. Those are two
• 21:06
  great takeaways from all of this. Absolutely, But it's also
• 21:09
  about remembering that our fears are valid, even if the
• 21:14
  threats themselves might be overblown.
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: Right, So it's okay to be afraid of clowns or
• 21:19
  the dark or whatever it is that sets you up.
• 21:21
  Those fears come from somewhere, They have a purpose. It's
• 21:24
  not about suppressing those fears, but about understanding them, acknowledging them,
• 21:29
  examining them, and then asking ourselves, Okay, what's the rational
• 21:33
  response here?
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: It makes a lot of sense. So the next time
• 21:35
  we see a headline about creepy clowns terrorizing in town,
• 21:38
  we can take a deep breath, remember our conversation and
• 21:41
  approach the information with the more discerning eye.
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: Precisely right, and that, my friend, is the key to
• 21:46
  navigating not just the clown panic, but the constant influx
• 21:50
  of information and misinformation that we face in this day
• 21:53
  and age.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Well said, I think that's a great place to wrap
• 21:56
  up this deep dive. It's been fascinating, in a little
• 21:59
  bit creepy exploring the world of clown panics with you
• 22:02
  but I think we've all learned some valuable lessons about psychology,
• 22:05
  media literacy, and the importance of critical thinking.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: I agree. It's been a pleasure chatting with you.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: Today, So to our listeners out there, thanks for joining
• 22:12
  us on this journey into the heart of a cultural phenomenon.
• 22:15
  Until next time, stay curious, stay skeptical, and remember, sometimes
• 22:20
  the scariest monsters are the ones we create ourselves.