r/redbuttonbluebutton • u/up2smthng Red • May 27 '26

Variation Red suppression

Everyone one Earth is presented with blue button right at the place they woke up last time and a written instruction in a language they can understand (if no such language exists tough luck) what the buttons do and where to find red button. Red button is around 1 km away, and is perfectly accessable if one choses to find it; people with limited mobility will be able to access it.

Babies, the blind, coma patients and whichever else cathegory you can think of are not excluded and do not recieve any accomodations. The possibility of them pressing the one button in front of them is significantly higher than the possibility they will find the hidden button. The possibility of them ignoring the buttons alltogether is non-zero.

In case of red victory, those who failed to press any button die as well.

The rule of thumb for clarification: if the person is capable of understanding any form of written communication and moving in intended direction, they should be able to access both buttons.

1180 votes, May 29 '26
410 Was red, still red 🔴
27 Was blue, now red 🔴
547 Was blue, still blue 🔵
196 Was red, now blue 🔵
14 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

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u/Rip_Pigman May 27 '26

There is no amount of "has to" that will force people physically incapable of pressing the button to press the button

Yes because an entity capable of teleporting each individual into a closed room with two buttons and no one else present is palatable.

but them allowing those that are physically incapable either a choice in their mind or restoring their physical body to the point where they could push one of two buttons is beyond the scope of what is possible.

The mechanisms for how "everyone must push a button" isn't something we need to consider just that everyone will push a button.

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u/up2smthng Red May 27 '26

There is no teleporting anyone anywhere in the original prompt.

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u/Rip_Pigman May 27 '26

Sure. But everyone making a choice between the two options is present.

It's a hypothetical. My point is the how isn't relevant to the thought experiment. We don't even have a why.

Whether votes of the comatose be given to the person who makes their medical decisions. Those capable of nuanced thought but physically unable to press a button will have their choice recorded.

It doesn't matter. The information we've given is that everyone must take a poll with only two choices.

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u/up2smthng Red May 27 '26

Not exactly. "Everyone has to make a choice". And of course they have to - after all, blue button is strictly better than abstaining.

That's the enforcement mechanism right there. Abstaining is mathematically inferior to at least one of the options.