Disclaimer: "The Big Bang Theory" belongs to Warner Brothers.
"Johnathan Lockwood Huie stated the following: Know that the greatest fear is fear of the unknown," Amy Farrah Fowler began.
"Now I present you with an unknown," Sheldon Cooper continued. He turned the camera towards a wooden box. The wooden box suddenly lurched to the left.
"The unknown is what is causing the box to lurch," said Sheldon. The box lurched forward, then backward. "If you want to reduce fear of something, make that something less of an unknown. Demystify it. Let people see behind the curtain."
"However, there are some things people should be afraid of, such as doing hard time in prison," Amy cautioned.
A menacing growl emanated from the box.
"Since the late 1970s, teenage hooligans who have yet to commit any crimes worthy of prison time have been given tours inside prisons. These social programs are known as Scared Straight programs," Sheldon explained.
The box shook as if it was in an earthquake.
"The goal of these programs is to reduce the likelihood that the juveniles participating will commit additional crimes in the future. However, studies have statistically shown Scared Straight programs actually make juveniles more likely to commit crimes," Amy remarked, at which point the box tipped over on its side. An even louder growl was heard.
"Maybe that's because Scared Straight programs make the unknown of prison into more of a known than is helpful," Sheldon stated. "And when the unknown becomes known..."
The box opened, and a remote-controlled Volkswagen bug painted light green emerged. Attached to the roof of the bug was a small yet powerful speaker.
"...it is no longer scary at all. Because of this, I firmly believe that Scared Straight programs are malarkey!"