Parties & Clowns - Late Night Edition

Every party needs a clown. That's what I just found out, or at least I was told... by the TV.

But then I stopped to think about it, and it seems true: every time there's a party, there's always one guy (or girl) who plays the clown. Whether it be the joke-teller, the prankster, the comical one, or the drunk; there always seems to be a clown, even if they play the clown for only a few minutes during the party.

I remember when I was in high school, my girlfriend's parents were prominent psychologist and held an annual Christmas party at their house (even though one was Jewish and the other an atheist, but that's another subject and story for another post). I'm sure you can imagine the crowd who attended such an event - there were a lot of sweaters, ties, jackets, and typically not a place for a high school kid. But there I was, with my girlfriend, hanging out with the 30-, 40-, and 50-somethings in the "I hang out with psychologists", "I am a psychologist" or "I'm a lawyer" crowd. We didn't stay very long; made an appearance, retreated from the action, and made another appearance, and retreated again.

I digress, back to the point. Even at an event such as the one described above, there is always a clown. There’s always someone telling a joke, a funny story, or trying to entertain with modern comic relief. In fact, I would venture to guess that in a crowd such as the one listed above, there would be more effort in trying to tell jokes and entertain through comic relief… but that may not be a fair statement, and slightly stereotyping. I’m sure psychologists, lawyers, and their friends are just like every other normal group of people… well, maybe not “just like” every other normal group of people, but similar in that there’s always a clown in the crowd… even the seriousness-laden one.

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