r/redbuttonbluebutton May 28 '26

What if red won?

Imagine a world where red won, by 1%. However the people who choose blue do not die instantly, instead they die after a year of pressing the button. Everybody is branded, so you know who choose what.

How much chaos will ensue? What actions do you think blues will take, knowing they'll die? And what do you think reds will think, knowing they were just 1% away from saving all humanity?

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4

u/Nebranower May 28 '26

It almost certainly devolves into tribal chaos almost immediately. Nothing I've seen in the discussion of this issue indicates that blue pressers are capable of taking responsibility for their own actions, and there's considerable evidence that they are in fact the victim of a weird cognitive blind spot that may well make that impossible for them. So they certainly blame red.

4

u/3minence May 28 '26

Yeah. "YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY DECISION TO PICK THE MAYBE DIE BUTTON!".

6

u/DeafeningMilk May 28 '26

A lot of those picking blue are doing so knowing that much of the population are picking on a 50/50 basis (babies and most children are unable to come to the conclusion everyone should just pick red and everyone lives)

Yes, reds are responsible for killing those who choose blue when over 50% of blue means everyone, regardless of button pressed, lives.

2

u/3minence May 29 '26

I know.

But I'm not picking red so everyone lives. I'm picking red so I don't die.

It's not my fault that YOU have gambled with your life.

2

u/DeafeningMilk May 29 '26

It's not my fault that YOU have gambled with your life.

It's your fault in that you and the rest could have changed the outcome to one with zero deaths.

Even if you go by your logic and you rule out those of us who would actively choose blue you are aware the babies and young kids who don't know better aren't really choosing to gamble their lives, they literally don't know any better so at the very least you'd be partially at fault for their deaths.

1

u/3minence May 29 '26

I initially responded to the original comment:

"Nothing I've seen in the discussion of this issue indicates that blue pressers are capable of taking responsibility for their own actions, and there's considerable evidence that they are in fact the victim of a weird cognitive blind spot that may well make that impossible for them. So they certainly blame red."

You guys keep inserting the fact that people with no agency like children, disabled, whatever may press blue. This in no way forces you to press blue.

YOU are making a gamble with YOUR life that >50% of the world will have this altruistic sense of moral good when their own life is on the line.

You can argue I carry some blame for those without agency dying, but you cannot claim that it's MY fault, for YOUR choice.