Chaos! All over the world, cinemas are facing a crisis that even the wildest imagination could never have seen coming: the rise of the gentleminions.

Gentleminions dress up in their finest suits to watch the latest in the Despicable Me film series. They video themselves worshipping its adverts. They tell anyone who will listen that "the five-year wait is over" - referring to the length of time since the last instalment in the franchise.

Not all gentleminions come in peace, however. While the majority have been respectful of other filmgoers, some have caused disturbances by loudly imitating their beloved characters during the film.

It has led some cinemas to ban teenagers dressed in suits entirely. Others have set up dedicated showings just for gentleminions.

The surprise trend has some people reflecting on the role that gentle, silly tomfooleryFoolish or playful behaviour. plays in our societies.

Clowns have been important throughout history. From the 16th to the 18th Century, they entertained huge crowds with a kind of theatre known as commedia dell'arte.

They inspired the slapstick comedy of the early 20th Century. Comic legends like Buster KeatonAn American actor best known for his physical comedy in the silent film era. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors and directors of all time. and Charlie ChaplinAn English comic actor who rose to fame in the silent film era. He is regarded as one of the most important figures of early film. channelled this theatrical tradition to bring laughter to millions of filmgoers. Characters in Monty Python and even The Simpsons are also based on commedia dell'arte figures.

Clowns were also influential at the very top. Many monarchs appointed a court jester, who would entertain them with music, storytelling and acrobatics.

In fact, England still has an official jester today. The tradition was revived in 2004, when English HeritageA charity that manages historic monuments and sites in England. appointed Nigel Roder, or "Kester the Jester", to the role. 

But jesters, or "fools", could also play a serious role. They were masters of telling truth to power in joking, ironic ways that would allow them to escape punishment. 

This meant they were sometimes the only people at Court who could give the monarch bad news. In 1340, the French fleet was destroyed by the English at the Battle of Sluys. Fearing the wrath of French king Philippe VIKing of France between 1328 and 1350. His reign saw the beginning of the Hundred Years' War with England., courtiers sent the court jester to break the news to him. The jester told him the English sailors did not "even have the guts to jump into the water like our brave French".

More modern thinkers have also taken clowns seriously. Swiss psychiatrist Carl JungA Swiss practitioner of psychoanalysis. Initially he was a collaborator of Sigmund Freud's, but his ideas diverged from Freud's and the two became bitter rivals., a rival of Sigmund FreudAn Austrian psychoanalyst who was one of the world's foremost authorities on psychology in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Although his ideas have been discredited in the scientific community, he remains influential for literary scholars., argued that the mind is composed of various archetypes that we express through myths and stories. One of these was the Fool, the jester figure who seems to behave in silly, irrational ways.

In fact, Jung argued, the Fool's apparent silliness masks a profound courage. They are willing to take risks, to step into the unknown. As their experience builds, the Fool gains wisdom and ultimately becomes a different archetype: the SageOne of Jung's archetypes. The Sage is a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. They are often represented as a mentor or teacher..

But clowns are not all fun and games. Around one in 10 people suffer from coulrophobia, a fear of clowns. In 2016, there was a spate of sightings of creepy clowns all over the USA. Some even attacked passers-by.

Yes: A bit of clowning about makes life seem more joyous and fun. But clowns also play a more serious role in our lives: they remind us to take risks, step into the unknown and challenge authority.

No: There is nothing profound about clowns. They are silly people who do silly things. And many people are absolutely terrified of them.

Or... It is not more clowns that we need. Rather, we should all embrace a bit more clownery in our everyday lives. We should learn not to take things so seriously, and not to worry so much about the consequences of our actions.