Category Archives: Clowns

Patch Adams says Greed is a Dis-ease

This is a young Patch Adams on Oprah. I love his thinking. For so long he has talked about community, he refuses welfare and chooses a lighter footprint. He is an example. A light in our collective darkness.

Patch believes it is about giving not getting. I feel the same. Apparently that is revolutionary. Most women do this all the time. For men it is a threat for women it is normal.

When I think of those who work hard to control our lives but don’t give any thought to what inspires our lives, I just see dark/light dichotomies. We all get to choose. I have chosen clearly.

Video below is a young Patch and the second done is about making the movie of Patch Adams and the messages he seeks to share.

Be a World Peace Clown

REAL HOPE is a values model refer www.worldpeacefull.com and worldpeacefull empowerment for YouTube philosophical expanding harmony and peace in our world.

This video highlights the reality of being a peace clown and allowing yourself to have fun.  It is when we access the right hemisphere of the brain that we open up to emotional intelligence which lives to give. clowning is a way of experiencing freedom, imagination and unconditional love. It is very heatlhy.  The scary clown phenomenon came out of the United States and is really about creating fear around innocence.  Real clowns are about love, friendship, inclusivity and playfulness.  When we access the clown within we will feel such a joy in being alive.  Susan Carew aka Peacefull clown (fool) reveals what the reality is like and teaches juggling to inspire you to be a World Peace Clown.

REAL HOPE is a peace, nonviolence and anti-bullying program taught by Peacefull the clown to inspire peace, fun and values in our society.  Visit www.worldpeacefull.com (see school programs anti-bullying to locate the program).

May be learn to find the clown within and smile at life. For it is really funny when you don’t take life seriously.

 

Community Building: Clowning Around San Diego

I met my new friend Kyle at the Maritime Museum. We got changed in the toilets (bathroom) of the restaurant nextdoor. I painted his face with blues, reds, whites and yellows. I put a nice colourful wig on him and he borrowed my indian clown suit. He looked great. I gave him some tips on clowning that we are not here to make people laugh but to be happy and share it. We are careful not to get people out of their comfort zones and to be in harmony with them. If we use the massager we make sure we have permission etc.

Diane a former clown gave more tips as she went to drop us off near the Convention Centre in downtown San Diego.

We waved at some people and said hello. I have to laugh at the lights this guy was standing with his bull dog and felt to say that my peace symbol was an upside devil symbol and gave it a name, he believed in Jesus Christ. I have no idea where he got that from but all I could say to him is that we are here to spread peace and love I understood it to be a nuclear disarmament symbol. Amazing some of the comments you get. Poor kyle got to hear this as a first introduction to clowning. He is a Christian, so it seemed funny a Christian saying this. He wasn’t that happy.

Anyway we moved on and were allowed into the Mardi gras. It turns out we were early but we said hello to the workers setting up. We taught a woman how to juggle. We saw some huge aliens on stilts, some belly dancers, pirates, pharaohs, rockers, dancers and all sorts. Kyle and I went for a cuppa at the pub. We were met with smiles from others. Often people ask for photos. I pulled out my fools tarot, basically I like to find out what sort of fool people are. It is really good. This guy pulled a card as a drunken fool and his mother and girlfriend laughed and said it was true. They liked the cards they got and it started some laughing which was nice.

My friend Kyle was great, he laughed with people, danced and dropped the doggy pool then got a tissue and picked it up, that brought a laugh. I recall one guy saying that people don’t listen and Kyle drifting off. He was actually a very funny clown.

We wound up getting some pizza. I saw a woman putting salt on her pizze and there were police there. I said to the policeman that the woman was assaulting her pizza, ha ha. Another guy I mentioned we had jumpers not sweaters. I should have said they were had to get on, can’t keep them down.

I was feeling tired clowning and not my usually bouncy self. I found the crowd was a bit thin. However, it was fine really. I love people and go with the flow.

I saw Kyle with a bunch of drummers and he was banging away at his peace tamborine and it looked great. He had courage and jumped in with people. I really felt him to be a natural.

I then asked if we could go out on the street. I actually felt better breaking out of the enclosure. We met people on the street, a lady trying to sell happy hour. Perhaps it should be every hour of the day. Funny how we equate alcohol to happy. Many on the street who are not that happy drinking.

We met a lovely African American guy who had a guitar and played for us. I tried to sing with him and dance. He liked me, me thinks, I gave him a hug and he wanted to get the pacifier out of the way (dummy). He was a nice guy.

We met another guy walking around, seemed like a retired academic. He had long grey hair and was interested in comedy. I thought he’d be good and lovely to see at his age living his dreams. I then saw a lady in a wheel chair and gave her $5. She looked cold and I tried to warm her up.

We also spoke to a lady on the street, the two of us sat down and she spoke of security intelligence agencies, much of which I didn’t understand but that she had been born on a military base secretly. She told us about identity theft of her identity. She even said that Steve Irwin (Ozzy) had sought a hit on her, I thought she meant amorous but she didn’t. She said a lot about the system and who knows which bits are true which are not. It is not my place to judge her just listen to her. I told her to write a book. After we left her we saw she had moved to another spot.

I thought about mental health and the vulnerability of homeless people. I was told by Kyle that there are around 30,000 homeless, apparently they come to san Diego because it is not as cold. You can imagine on the east coast where it is snowing, they would freeze to death. I had a debate with another guy earlier in the week, he was a clown but he felt they were using the system. He said some make a lot of money. I’ve heard this before and maybe it is so, but ultimately money does not solve the problem. It can give an excuse to people to ignore them and do nothing. I recalled yesterday when I was in Macchu Picchu in Peru that the Inca’s had no homeless people. So it can happen in societies when there is a will. I do feel all of us have to look at the problem. When you have people erecting tents on the sidewalk it is a problem. Are the slack or bludgers? Well the protestant work ethic which is drummed into us from childhood would lead you to believe they are losers. In my worldview and having not had a home for 2 years, it is not easy trying to focuson survival and finding a place to stay. Socially it can affect your friendships, family, if the person has substance abuse, poor communication, mental health issues, aggression etc. they will be more vulnerable. I met another guy a few days before that and he had black skin but it was peeling off and you could see white skin, he had a skin condition. He was trying to sell paintings to survive. He said his family didn’t pay him for work, so how many seek monetary help from family. If we look at ethnic, cultural differences it is clear that there are people in the United States who are seen differently. I saw more Afro American’s riding the buses (as they say). I saw many Mexican’s working in servant roles. When in England it was the Mediterranean’s that worked the taxi’s, the Pakistani’s in the newsagents and there was a homeless problem in the London Underground, I understand around a few thousand were homeless and seeking warmth there. In San Diego 30,000 is a big number and I sat today thinking – how do you solve that? I wondered at public investment in public housing. We have that problem in Australia where the government housing stock got sold off so they have a shortage. i thought about people allowing you to stay in their home. Most people won’t do that, they would eventually expect you to pay your way, philanthropic assistance as service for as long as needed would be rare, unless you have a spiritual dimension. We live in a world where there are powerful beliefs around paying your way, users pay, ownership, entitlement without a great deal of understanding of structural violence (racial inequality, gender, age, education) which erodes equality for all. These days people have to get an education, not everyone is scholastic, we have artists and drifters and a range of different types of people that must fit in the box. We live in a world of winners and losers and typically white privilege is an issue. My friend is studying as a counsellor and she was reading a paper on it. I heard it again from a peace studies student. It is essentially the advantage of being white (or what I term in truth pink bit of humour there). Anyway, I can relate to this idea and know travelling the world I was given special treatment as a white person from Australia. It was the perceived beliefs about white people and largely coming out of the American movie industry. Moreover, as a woman I am also given certain privileges I am not seen as a threat. If I am attractive then doors open more and if I had money, wide open. So yes we do discriminate we do it unconsciously and consciously. I must say I sat on the bus looking at an Afro American and looking at her and thinking about her talents, the fact she was riding the bus, her life and that it was my loss if the system didn’t see her as equal. I find it incredible that we look at skin complexion, racial background, handicap and so on and alter our behaviour. Yes I’ve done it but I am conscious now so I look at the conditioning and see it for what it is, untrue.

So going out on the street as a clown gives me the opportunity to tell an Afro American man that he is gorgeous, to encourage him to find what makes him happy, to let his talents shine and heal the past. He nearly cried when I said these words. Kyle said ‘words are powerful’ and he is right. I tried to show this guy that we can create our own pathway out of poverty. I know it is not easy but it is not impossible, as there is a tad of magic to this world as I know. I’ve been able to survive for 2 years now without a house or job, yet I work for peace full time. I am following my passion and just going with life as it takes me. I can understand the feeling of uncertainty plaguing your every step, I know what it feels like to feel alone, to have no money etc. but I also know the magic that comes when you dare to reach for your truth and to bring a smile to another, costs nothing. This guy said he was hungry so Kyle agreed to drop me at a shop to get him a burger. We came back and I gave it to him to help him see life is kind.

Kyle took me home and gave me a video ‘women of faith’. He told me earlier he had been part of this group, I joked with him wondering if he wore a dress, but he supported them which I thought was great. Kyle had drug issues in his past which makes him a good person to talk to on the street, he has been there. He prays for people and he said some like it some don’t want it. He is respectful of both. I guess some just feel that someone cares enough to ask. Kyle is a good person and goes to a local church. He wants to live the message of peace.

He took off the clown gear and we hugged and off he went. I was deeply grateful that he had the courage to give it a go and I was glad I got out in the public at least once here. I was tired but it is better than nothing.

Clowning is community building because we love unconditionally. It is not about helping others, it is about meeting others where they are. It is about showing them their greatness, not trying to be great through helping underprivileged. It is about seeing people and giving something for nothing, that inspires trust and peace. These to me are the tools to peace. It has to have no agenda, just for the sheer joy of meeting people. People never disappoint me as they are unique and interesting. I am never bored with them and realise people need to be heard. We are indeed equal whether you are in a business suit or daggy pants on the street. The challenge is for us to look further than the perceived image which is not who people are. The same applies for the rich guy, there are many beautiful people in disguise just seeking peace like you and I.

 

Sending love and peace to you. Everyone is gorgeous in their own way.

International Shrine Clown Association

http://www.shrineclowns.com/education/novice.asp

Reflections of a Novice Joey

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by Lincoln “OPPEE” Richards
retyped from Oct/Nov 90 edition of “Clown Alley”

After passing half of my first official calendar year as a clown, I would like to share a few thoughts with other novice joeys.

I joined the Masons to become a better man, and to meet men who did the same. I joined the Shriners to help the Shriner’s Burns Institute. I joined the Clown Unit to make the children smile and laugh. I had already seen the world.

The biggest thing for me to overcome to be a clown was to put on makeup for the first time. Remember? Makeup after all was not macho, and I really had a mental block on that one. I owe it to Tony “U-No” Mucci for busting down that barrier. He invited me over to his house,and before I could open my mouth, he gave me my first clown face. I had crossed the barrier between normal and fantasy.

Early on I knew that a trip to the Shriner’s Burns Institute in Boston as a clown was a necessity. Notwithstanding the descriptions given me of the patient’s appearances, I felt I would see the children as the kids they were… that, after, was why I wanted to be a Shrine Clown in the first place. The trip was great. The patients and parents were outstanding and the staff was unbelievable. As it turned out, my biggest problem was keeping the curious kids from cleaning my clown props out of my pockets. Kids are what clowning is really about. Never mind how old or what shape the body might be in… either from age or suffering… a kid is a kid.

Ever hold out you arms to a baby beginning to walk? One does not expect little feet to do double time… just one step. Clowning has been the same for me, one step at a time. Picking up a piece, spending a few minutes with it every now and then, and soon the puzzle comes together forming a picture. Concentrating on one piece until satisfied works very well for me. It does not have to be perfect, only rewarding. The kids will make it perfect in their eyes.

I remember the day someone handed me a bag full of Shrine balloons. I could not blow them up. Talk about red face and frustration. I decided blowing was slowing down my learning so I got a hand balloon pump. Tried two before I decided they were no help — never worked. Got a rechargeable battery operated pump, a good one… my best clown investment. I can do the balloon basics now, even know about Easy Blow Balloons, but have been watching the old timers with their balloon artistry. That will have to get some attention soon. There is satisfaction in handing someone a twisted balloon.

I learned to do minor juggling — never thought I would. Kept counting the number of times I could throw a set of bean bags in the air, and eventually they were in the air long enough that I stopped counting. I thought the kids would appreciate that — they didn’t. I could see I was boring them. So now occasionally I drop them on purpose. They love it. It no longer embarasses me.

A few months after the first of the year, since I was too stupid to know what was meant by “competition,” I figured I had better find out. I went to the classes put on by the NESCA Institute in Salem, NH. They made it seem simple and like a lot of fun. They gave out plenty of pointers, a stack of papers with hints, and a beautiful graduation pin and diploma. I decided thus armed I would “compete” while I was still too dumb to know better. I built a stilt box, tried it in a few parades, figured, “What the heck!”, filled the car with junk, a couple of bags, and the wife, and headed down to Hartford, Connecticut for a long weekend. We had a super time. Met wonderful people. I competed in Auguste face and as a one man skit. I recommend it highly to any joey, new or old. Go and enjoy it… do not worry if you will “score.” There is plenty of appreciation and satisfaction to go around.

As a new clown, I have attended parades, been to conventions, parties, fund raisers, the circus, TV, Boston Common, seminars, clown college, and the hospital. One woman rushed out of a parade crowd and thanked ME for the work the Shrine Hospital did in rebuilding their daughter’s disfigured body. You need not ask why I clown, the answers are there for those who have eyes to see. A buck here, a buck there. One hundred dollars here and one hundred dollars there, all going for the hospital. Once as we left a clown gig with a check donation for several hundred dollars for the Sneaker Fund, one of the Aleppo Clowns put it this way very well:

“…after all, that’s what it’s all about.”

Masonry needs more Masons, Charities need more Masonic Donations, and the world needs more good clowns. Dedication comes from attention, and attention thrives on small details. If you are both a Mason and a Shrine Clown, walk and act as such… if you are a new clown, fear no danger. Clowns make good conductors. With the help of many of them I expect to make it to the end of my first year.