Clowns, The Sham-wow Guy, and Evil

What is the essence of evil? Is it personified - as a horned devil, carrying a pitchfork? How about a strange black presence that fills the room, chilling the air preturnaturally causing your breath to be visible in midsummer? Is Evil the goose-stepping figure of a dictator, bent on genocide?

I think we should carefully look at Clowns, and the Sham-Wow guy. There's just something there that says 'eternal evil' to me... take for example, this innocent looking clown..



That's John Gacy, notorious serial killer, and pederast. He killed more than 31 people, burying them in his basement or throwing them off bridges after choking them to death with a knotted cord.

But what about a man, who wants to sell you something absorbent enough to be be able to suck up spilled OJ, milk, and ... even... bloodstains...?



Something here just speaks of the essence of true evil. Your children will ask questions like, why does it rain? But what will you tell them, when they ask about the essence of evil. Will you remember this photograph, of the ShamWow guy? Maybe. Or will you remember the photograph of his attractive girlfriend experience acquaintance.



Abusive people want you to remember the good things. That's all life really is. The perfect. The great. The wonderful. They hide the bad stuff, because there's so much of it in their lives. The dead bodies in their basement. The women they beat up.

True evil is a kind of perfect thing. Almost too perfect. And too happy. Everything adding up to a wonderful, surprising total.