A clown can surprise you sometimes. In my first year and a half in China, my colleagues and I compared ourselves to clowns (or dancing monkeys in some cases) because that’s how we felt about our jobs. As foreign English teachers in China, we were entertainment rather than educators, and our evaluations reinforced that point. I was fortunate enough to move on and teach at institutions that valued my expertise.
In Bangkok, I found a clown that showed respect. And when that clown is the face of an multi-billion-dollar international corporation, he also commands respect. Ronald McDonald is much more respectable clown in other countries than he is in the US. This clown had to be more respectful because he was standing a short walk away from the Erawan Shrine.
Chinese people are mostly friendly and we are just curious about American culture. We don’t have much opportunity to communicate with a native American. Most Chinese people believe (yes, believe) that America is a paradise-like nation and they all want to go to America. So you are not a clown, it’s just Chinese people admire Americans too much..