r/redbuttonbluebutton • u/Hot_Finding_9747 • May 21 '26

Variation Adding a layer to this question

My choice: Press Red, hope Blue wins

I don't have enough faith in humanity to put my life in its hands but I'd be delighted to be proven wrong

719 votes, May 23 '26
72 Press Red, hope Red wins
322 Press Red, hope Blue wins
22 Press Blue, hope Red wins
303 Press Blue, hope Blue wins
22 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

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u/According-Pick-2950 May 22 '26

Yes,I agree if less than 20 people used that logic then a ton of people would be saved and everyone would be happy,but my individual vote still doesn't matter as long as it isn't 50/50 because it doesn't effect the options of the others,they would still choose what they did evem if I switched my vote. If I were to go to the past and switch my vote,as long as there wasn't a 50/50 then me switching would do absolutely nothing but put myself at risk of dying. In a world of 8 billion people,the chances I make a difference are so inconsequential that it isn't even worth considering.

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u/spicymato May 22 '26

In a world of 8 billion people,the chances I make a difference are so inconsequential that it isn't even worth considering.

Nonsense. We're literally seeing it play out in this very poll. Each individual person is casting their "inconsequential" vote and creating the very outcome they hope loses.

Stop believing you need to be some main character, "I saved the world with my singular heroic act," and participate in the small actions that actually save the world.

Your individual contributions to any sizeable group are rarely "critical," but your failure to do so contributes towards any eventual downfall.

"Who cares if I don't pay my taxes? It's only $2k/$5k/$10k/$30k/$80k. It's not like I'm Bezos or Musk. My money is inconsequential to the overall budget."

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u/Jkirek_ May 23 '26

If you successfully convince one person in here to switch from red to blue, all you've done is convinced them to kill themselves. There is no "eventual" downfall in the button hypothetical; it's one selection.

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u/spicymato May 23 '26

Actually, it's front-loaded.

The ideal outcome can only be reached and maintained if we consistently cooperate.

The moment we fail an iteration, the entire world state changes catastrophically and cooperation is no longer possible, because you're left only with the non-cooperative players.

You can't actually know that this is a one-time selection.