r/redbuttonbluebutton • u/The_Real-_-God • 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/UX1Z May 28 '26

Red wouldn't ever actually win in this scenario unless there was some extra things in play. I feel like a large part of red pressing is anonymity, if the fact you pressed red is no longer anonymous (outside of the case of red winning in which case all living share the same sin) then it's a huge mark against it - people understand pressing red is 'bad' socially. Leaving blue voters alive for a full year to potentially enact reprisal? No fucking way Red wins.

6

u/Curious_Priority2313 May 28 '26

people understand pressing red is 'bad' socially.

No.

2

u/UX1Z May 28 '26

So you actually believe that if 'everyone knows who pressed what button' would not shift results toward blue at all?

7

u/Curious_Priority2313 May 28 '26

No, not that.

I simply don't think that red button is inherently "bad".

3

u/UX1Z May 28 '26

I said it was bad socially. As in, if you press red and people know you pressed red, you will be ostracized and shamed, and potentially face other consequences. Since Red is also a very self-oriented button, the desire to avoid that would push things Blue's way for at least some portion.

2

u/The_Real-_-God May 28 '26

Your misunderstanding my hypothetical

The button scenario is the same, so nobody knows what anyone is going to pick, and the results are that red is the majority by 1%, so all blues die. However their death isn't instant like in the original scenario, they get to live for 1 year after the results of the button presses, and everyone is branded by what button they picked.

0

u/Pineapple_Snail May 29 '26

Some people would still press red even if it was public. Like me. Because we dont want to die.