2012-07-04
Explanation
A child in bed during a thunderstorm is scared of lightning. His mother, rather than comforting him, says "Oh, don't worry, that'll just help you see the clowns coming." The caption reads: "Technically, Bobby is now over his fear of lightning."
The humor works on multiple levels. First, there is the subversion of the comforting-parent trope -- instead of reassuring her child, the mother replaces one fear with a much worse one. Second, there is the darkly logical truth of the caption: Bobby is indeed no longer afraid of lightning, because he now has a far greater terror (clowns lurking in the darkness) that makes lightning seem like a helpful tool rather than a threat. This is a joke about how fear is relative and how, technically speaking, exposure therapy can "work" if you simply introduce something more frightening. The comic also plays on coulrophobia (fear of clowns), which is a widely recognized and relatable phobia.