Yes, it's a joke.
But a whimsical idea has evolved into a tongue-in-cheek comparison of ISIS and Juggalos, the followers of Detroit-based Insane Clown Posse, which the FBI has branded as a criminal gang.
The website Death and Taxes reports:
On a recent episode of “The Howard Stern Show,” Stern mused with co-host Robin Quivers about sending Juggalos to fight ISIS. “Imagine a bunch of guys in clown outfits, like, with hatchets,” Stern said. “Those fuckin’ [ISIS] dudes would get right in line.”
Responding to Stern’s comments, Insane Clown Posse agreed on Twitter, sending out an incendiary tweet that said, in part: "Howard Stern is right: Juggalos COULD kick ISIS's ass! Mad clown love to all Juggalo veterans!"
What started as an off-the-cuff joke is quickly escalating into a full-blown international conflict, with vast geopolitical implications.
Here we offer a detailed analysis based on the best intelligence we could gather of how this conflict might shape up. As this is just a preliminary white paper, there will no doubt be some holes. For that, we apologize in advance.
An excerpt....
Ideology and Beliefs:
ISIS follows an extreme interpretation of Islam, and promote violence to eradicate anyone who disagrees with it. Their primary goal is to create a Salafist-Islamist state primarily in Iraq and Syria, as well as other parts of the Levant.
Juggalos are primarily peaceful if unprovoked. Their lifestyle focuses on drinking, listening to horrorcore, elaborate face paint, a trademark “whoop, whoop” call, and a wasteful celebratory spraying of a cheap soft-drink called “Faygo.”
However, Juggalist beliefs are expansive and malleable. “[Juggalos come] from all walks of life – from poverty, from rich, from all religions, all colors,” explains rapper Shaggy 2 Dope. “It doesn’t matter if you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth, or a crack rock in your mouth.”