I don’t like clowns. I’m not sure if I’m actually scared of them, but they give me the heebie jeebies. I’m sure I don’t have coulrophobia, but I really wouldn’t like to be alone in a room with clowns … and I’m not alone.
A ‘Fears Box’ was circulated round Trinity Primary before the actual project began and on the first session, it was opened to reveal just what or who people were frightened of.
The results were quite interesting.
With 13% of the papers, the fear in first place was of Neds or chavs. we actually put this along with ‘drunk people’, as once we got talking about it, it is the unpredictability of the people which is frightening, as well as the fact that they hang around in groups. Not knowing what they’re going to do seems to be what frightens people.
In second place, with 12%, was ‘the dark’
In joint third place, with 8% of the papers, were ‘Clowns’ and ‘Burglars/thieves’
So these were our biggest fears – here they are again, listed withthe others …
13% – neds/chavs and drunk people
12% – the dark
8% – clowns
8% – Burglars/thieves
7% – Lifts & small spaces
7% – spiders
6% – tests
6% – dying
6% – ‘Bloody Mary’. This is not the English Queen, but an urban myth/contemporary legend, which frightens girls rather than boys
5% – fire
5% – natural disasters, especially earthquakes
4% – monsters in general, especially zombies and things out of horror movies
4% – moths and butterflies
2% – snakes
3% – other animals, such as big dogs, wolves, sharks
1% – sharp things
1% – heights
1% – other objects, things with only 1 vote each
(1% of papers were illegible etc.)
