Stereotypes

General
1

Absolutely true: I was out on the Coker today. I was wearing a proper cycling shirt, cycling longs, purpose made cycling shoes, a cycle helmet and wristguards. Apart from the BMX style shoes and the wristguards, I was dressed exactly like a club road cyclist.

Small child says loudly, “Look , Daddy, a clown.”

Most clowns do not ride unicycles. Most unicyclists are not clowns. In other parts of my life, I am a bit of a street performer, but today, I am dressed as an athlete, and attempting (with little success) to ride like one.

The child is about 4 or 5 years old. Chances are, he’s never been to a circus. If he has, chances are he’s never seen a clown on a unicycle. If he has, chances are the clown was not on a Coker, riding flat out in a straight line. If he was, he was a crap clown.

So, where does this stereotype come from? I blame the greetings card industry. Should we picket a card factory?

2

HERE IN HAWAII

I don’t think anybody here has seen a unicycle unless a clown was riding one.

Just last month I over heard a small child said" Look Joey, It’s a clown’s bike".
It’s all he has ever seen. -----association to da clown

3

I have yet to see a clown riding a unicycle, that is a stereotypical circus type clown not a unicyclist clowning about which is something else :wink: I guess there must be some circus clowns that can unicycle and do so as part of an act but all I’ve seen a clown riding is a bike.

I’ve asked myself “did I associate unicycles with clowns before I started unicycling?” and the answer was simply “no” I just thought unicycling must be a really hard thing to do so I’d like to try it :smiley: and now I can, more or less.

4

you’re completely right, I have never seen a clown riding a unicycle. wait, one time…in a Batman movie. it was a terrorist clown, on a unicycle, with a machine gun. but other than that…never. I donno why people associate the two. possibly because unicycling is a circus art, and clowning is the most popular circus art…could be why juggling is also associated with clowns, since most clowns are not jugglers either.

5

lol

ppl just have a mental problem with unicycles ur either a clown or you are riding a one wheeled bicycle ppl are just stupid

6

I think you can probably blaim a combination of cartoonists and children’s book illustrators.

Political cartoonists seem to favour using stereotypical images to make points. Other cartoonists also often use stereotypes.

The only time I have seen clowns associated with unicycles is in newspaper cartoons, childrens illustrated books and on greeting cards.

I go to a lot of circuses and have never once seen a clown on a unicycle! I have friends who wrote a children’s book about offroad unicyclists but it has yet to be illustrated or published. It would be nice if projects like that got off the ground.

7

[QUOTE]
Originally posted by peter.bier
[B]I think you can probably blaim a combination of cartoonists and children’s book illustrators.

YEAH !!
THAT 'S WHAT I THINK. CLOWN WITH AN UMBRELLA RIDING A UNI ON A TIGHT ROPE. IT’S IN ALL THE INFANT/KID CIRCUS BOOKS. JUST ONE OR TWO PICTURES LIKE THAT IS ALL THEY NEED.

8

i think a little credit is due to hollywood, too. movies often play off of stereotypes, especially teen-targeted comedies.

I usually just get the ‘look, he’s riding a one-wheeled bike’…And people sometimes practically jump out of my way–I let them know that this isn’t necessary, it’s way easier than walking when riding in a straight line. For some reason, they are blown away that I can ride in a straight line. It’s like hills blow them away more than any trials or street skills I can do!!! Go figure!!

‘Wow, that must be so hard!!’ --‘Actually, no, it’s easier than walking, and faster too’

One unicyclist devoted to changing the minds of Michiganders,
Evan

9

Once on a train heading to Southern California for a backpacking trip I was dressed in a red fleece jacket. I have a beard (at the time, not too much gray). Despite the fact that it was June, I was thin (again, at the time), and it was hot weather, a little boy comes out with “Momma, is that Santa?”

So little kids have highly stereotyped views of the world and will click into those models based on only a couple of features.

Where the types come from - I imagine there are a few key books, perhaps Curious George?

10

And the award for Understatement Of The Year goes to…

11

Only to the unicycling world :slight_smile:

12

Re: Stereotypes

The people who design the cards probably don’t work at the factory…

Cartoonists, children’s book authors/illustrators, greeting cards. Don’t forget children’s cartoons. Not just the Disney-type stuff, but what’s on TV every day.

I think the children’s books are the biggest influence. Dr. Seuss was definitely a fan of odd vehicles, and his and similar books had lots of one-wheeled contraptions. Don’t forget the classic Bears on Wheels (not Seuss, but of a similar series). In that book the unicycle seems to come out on top as the most sensible, basic vehicle.

But yes, we are definitely more likely to see clowns on unicycles in illustrations, cartoons or books. I’ve been to a lot of circuses, but do not see many clowns actually riding unicycles.

I have seen performers riding unicycles. On tight wires, on ultimate wheels, in mock-basketball games and even doing tricks, all out of clown costume. Those easily outnumber the clowns on the unicycles.

But peoples’ exposure to unicycles “live” is probably mostly performance related. Either in circus or similar shows, or in street performing shows. There is probably less exposure to unicycle club performances and casual unicyclists just riding around.

But this is changing, and our image will slowly improve. But not fast. Too many people get infected too young, and unicycles still look silly, even with handlebars and a guy wearing a full bike get-up riding them.

13

No offense hopefully…

Howdo, All?

Just want’n ta give my two metallic substances…

I myself learned ta ride my unicyle at 'bout the age of 10, 'n my “Giraffe” shortly after that. 20 years late’r I find myself being called a clown, too.

However, I am a Shrinner, 'n in the “Clown” Unit. My clown name’s “Peddles”. 'N I do dress the part. As a Shrinner clown I try ta make (1) parade a week through the summer. I enjoy it, 'n everyone else seems to, too. Mount’n the Giraffe is what everyone wants ta see. It works out well that what I like ta do, helps ta generate smiles, as well as donations, that contribute ta the many hospitals that cure these children.

I am truely sorry that ya feel bad when someone, 'specialy a child, calls ya a clown. I’m sure they are not try’n ta hurt anyones feel’ns. I know that my feel’ns wouldn’t be hurt if they called me a freestyler, or what not, but I s’pose that’s diffrent.

In short I say…
No harm, No fowl. (Sorry could’n resist the spell’n, but hope’n you get my point)

14

Re: Stereotypes

once some ugly little kid yelled “you’re a clown!” from behind her
chocolate smeared face,
so i got off my Uni, threw a custard pie in her face kicked her in the
bum with my over sized shoes and squirted in the face with water from a
water pistol cleverly disguised as a flower. How I honked my horn with
delight as i pedaled off in to the distance

15

at the bike store where I got my unicycle the guy there said that he had some clowns buying unicycle…

16

I’ve been thinking about this kind of thing a lot lately. About being called a clown, I don’t really care. People, especially little kids, can say what they will about me while I’m riding, but I do wonder about the people themselves that are so compelled to speak out at us. Are those people the same people who are also racists or who would point and stare at the handicapped? Of course, there is a natural disposition to single out something that deviates from the norm, but in today’s society it’s best that be supressed. These shouters are very pleased with themselves when they single us out and I just wonder if this behaviour is an indication of someone who is not tolerant nor open-minded and is perhaps even a racist.

17

Hah … I’m gonna start asking … :smiley:

person: “Are you a clown …?”
Me: “Are you a racist …?”

18

First, let me say I have nothing against clowns. If you search the galleries, somewhere you will find a photo, “Mikefule, the early years” showing me in a costume that can only be described as absurd. As a Fool with a Morris team, I have used many clowning skills and other circus skills such as fire eating and a little bit of juggling, and I’ve even been known to incorporate the unicycle in my act in a vaguely comical way.

My point was that I find it hard to understand how it is that the unicyclist=clown stereotype is so deeply embedded when it is based on such scant evidence. Most unicyclists are not clowns; most clowns are not unicyclists; most people have never seen a clown on a unicycle… but the association between unicyclists and clowns is very strong in the public perception.

And that is interesting to me from a psychological point of view, or maybe a sociological point of view. (It is also, I admit, faintly irritating to be called a clown and even asked “Entertain us then” when I am quite clearly not in a performer’s costume, or in a performing context, and I am riding what even a cursory glance should reveal to be a “serious piece of kit”.)

The references to racism in the responses on this thread were interesting. I had made similar connections - not in the context of the clown/unicycle stereotype, but in the context of the hostile reactions we sometimes get: he’s different, mock him, stone him, burn the witch…

Someone who didn’t properly understand evolution could use this phenomenon as an argument against the theory…:wink:

19

Re: Stereotypes

“U-Turn” <U-Turn@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:U-Turn.1tt47s@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com…
>
> Once on a train heading to Southern California for a backpacking trip I
> was dressed in a red fleece jacket. I have a beard (at the time, not
> too much gray). Despite the fact that it was June, I was thin (again,
> at the time), and it was hot weather, a little boy comes out with
> “Momma, is that Santa?”
>

No! No! No! I am not going to be enticed into the Santa joke.

But thinking back as a kid, even on the other side of the world from here in
the UK, I associated jugglers, tight wire performers and unicyclists with
the circus. Never had I seen any of them outside of a circus. So it was
fairly easy to associate the three, and I probably from those days always
thought clown/juggler/unicyclist to be if not one and the same, certainly
0.75 and the same.

I still feel I am doing something completely daft when I unicycle. It is
partly why I do it, I do not expect to be taken seriously on one wheel by
anyone in the company of an even number of wheels, even if that number be
zero. I find it more odd that anyone is at all surprised by the stereotype.
The unusual is just that, a rare event in someone’s life. The unusual needs
to be explained. To pigeon hole a unicyclist or juggler as a clown
provides that explanation. Problem solved, and the only thing that is now
unusual is where the hell has the circus tent gone?

Nao

–
I hate keyboards: I never get any mistypes with a biro.

20

I think you are using racist as an extreme example of the kinds of people who stay stuff to us. Just wanted to clarify that being handicapped is not a race, nor is clown (except to purist hobbyist clowns).

But I know what you’re getting at.

No, the people who shout out to us, in part, want to let us know that they noticed us. For some reason they are compelled to interact with unusual vehicles and their riders. This is okay with me, even if they say the same old stuff.

Not counting the ego-challenged people who shout nasty things, usually from moving cars. They just generally want to advertise to the world that they have small members and don’t realize they’re telling us so.

But for the people who say “Look, a clown!” or “Where’s your other wheel?” are usually interested, and want to interact.

BTW, people make many other innaccurate assumptions about clowns, such as that they generally have lots of circus skills. Most clowns (outside of actual circuses) do not. Most cannot even juggle. In European circuses, on the other hand, clowns usually have wide-ranging skills and can make cameo appearances in nearly any sort of act.

I think people often refer to us as clowns because they don’t have a better word for “circus performer.” For many, I think “clown” covers all circus jobs. I don’t mind being associated with a skilled circus performer.

Apparently something about being on a unicycle is a suggestion that we are out to entertain people, even if we’re dressed like road cyclists and speeding along on our Cokers. When I’m riding to/from work, similarly dressed, I usually ignore such comments as I’d have to slow down to talk anyway. But when fellow cyclists wave or make nice comments on the bike path, I try to at least give a wave back, and I’ll always make conversation with someone who asks intelligent questions and is going in the same direction as me.