Comic #6125: adverse

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Panel 1: Kid: "Why are children afraid of clowns?" Adult: "Adverse selection."

Panel 2: Adult: "If you have a health insurance pool and healthy people leave, premiums have to increase since the overall population is sicker."

Panel 3: Adult: "That drives out the healthiest people in the remaining group, increasing premiums for those who remain. Iterate this process long enough and the system breaks." Adult: "So… suppose kids are just a little afraid of clowns."

Panel 4: Adult: "In that case, the people least comfortable terrifying children will not become clowns. Thus clowns become objectively more terrifying, prompting kids to be more scared, driving out the least-scary remaining clowns."

Panel 5: Adult: "At this point in the process, a rational child should assume anyone still willing to go into clowning is objectively to be feared."

Panel 6: Adult (looking sternly): "SON OF A BITCH!" Clown (behind him, holding a knife):

This transcription captures the dialogue and setup in the comic accurately.