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I bet people can actually die of embarrassment. I bet it's been medically proven.
— Angela · My So-Called Life

Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker imagines embarrassment becoming so intense that it could kill, then guesses that medicine has already proved it. The repeated 'I bet' gives an emotional exaggeration the sound of an argument. The joke lies in reaching for scientific authority to express how overwhelming embarrassment feels.
Context reviewed